


The Midas Touch

by Connah



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: ...lots of it, Alcohol, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Blow Jobs, Car Chases, Card Games, Deceit, Gambling, Guns, Heist, M/M, Pay attention to the tags, Rimming, Sex, Theft, Verbal Fighting, Violence, and the summaries on each page, casino - Freeform, changmin is a con artist, lots of smut, lying and deception are the main theme, sunwoo is a gambler, switch changmin, switch sunwoo, there are two endings to this fic so please be careful when reading, think bonnie and clyde but casino au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 60,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26913034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Connah/pseuds/Connah
Summary: Sunwoo is a wannabe big time gambler. Changmin is a con artist. When they meet in a casino Changmin has big ideas to get more money than Sunwoo could ever dream of before, he just has to convince him to trust him first."Ride or die?" "Ride or die."OrSunKyu Bonnie and Clyde casino style AU
Relationships: Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Sunwoo
Comments: 84
Kudos: 216





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this entire series was based off a prompt my beautiful sunflower anon sent me on twitter <3 it inspired me to basically unleash hell aka an unhinged Changmin onto the world.
> 
> Please bare in mind this relationship is not healthy so please don't idealize them nor attempt to recreate anything written in here ! thank you and enjoy <3  
> (by the way if you want to follow my twitter you can [here](https://twitter.com/connahquay))
> 
> Also please read tags before reading!!

“Fuck.” One of the older gentlemen cursed as he slapped his hand on top of his cards on the table. 

“Well then, gentlemen I’d say it’s been fun but...” Sunwoo chuckled to him. His cards totaled to a perfect twenty-one, a perfect calculation thanks to his keen eye, he patted the four cards layered before him as if to thank them.

Raking in the chips he had just won at the table like a true professional the eyes of those around him would’ve felt like daggers if he would’ve cared enough to let them hurt. But luckily he didn’t.

A liar. A cheat. A crook. Sunwoo had been called many things in his life before, and kicked out of more bars and casinos than he could possibly remember, but if it was one thing that he learned it was if you did something well you didn’t stop because it was immoral or against the rules. Winning against the house was all that mattered, so what if he happened to take other folk’s money along the way? If they knew better they would be cheating too, or at least cashing in with a different method than him. Slots, roulette, Sunwoo preferred poker and when he couldn’t get a game he would settle with blackjack. 

That’s where he sat now, the blackjack table with these  _ amateurs _ . Sure it was a low brow bar on the edge of the city, but still Sunwoo could fold this table with his eyes closed if he really wanted to; it was like he was the only one playing with tact. And it showed as he corralled the chips into a container he held just off the edge of the table, the satisfying drop of plastic hitting plastic made his smile edge wider with each passing second.

“It really hasn’t.” He finished his sentence. 

He stood up, finally taking a second to look at the lump of disgruntled faces he was just swindled out of their money so easily, the young man couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh one more time as he began to walk away, catching as one of the gentleman sat at the table turned to the dealer and Sunwoo pretty much knew then that it was time to leave.

Counting cards was easy, it was simple math; adding and subtracting with every card drawn. Keeping a running tally. It was something Sunwoo learned to do at the tender age of seventeen, after stealing a pack of playing cards from a convenience store when he finally ran away from home.

He hustled for a year, living off performing sidewalk card tricks for tips, memorizing card values by night and working out the likelihood of them showing up in his hand. He was a natural, it turned out. As soon as he hit 18 and earned enough cash to place a decent bet at a casino he was quick to test his methods out.

He remembered his first game, how nervous he was. He thought falling in from the streets would benefit him with street smarts but it turned out the bright lights and the liquor didn’t care for that. It ruined him for the first few rounds, the fast pace of the play intimidating the newcomer as he struggled to keep up with the numbers. 

It was all part of the practice and slowly over time Sunwoo cultivated the game and eventually figured out his style of play.

Which is what led him onto poker. More risk meant more reward, and that was something Sunwoo craved for more of in his life. 

As Sunwoo walked over to cash out his chips his eyes flickered to the nearest exits. This was something he was incredibly familiar with too.  _ Technically  _ counting cards wasn’t illegal which used to be Sunwoo’s go-to excuse the first few times he got collared. Now he had just learned to run. Knowing that the wrath of each club varied in degree of violence, and that was an odd that he didn’t want to stick around and play out.

He calmly cashed in his chips, watching the teller count the thick green wads of currency Sunwoo was oh so greedy for. The moment it was in reach of his fingers he shoved it all into his trusty briefcase, an old worn out tanned leather thing he had been carrying around for years.

He bid adieu to the teller with a salute, hoping to make the safety of his car before the fateful tap on his shoulder appeared. Sadly he didn’t even make it out of the room before he felt it.

“Sir can you-” The security officer began but Sunwoo bolted before he could finish the sentence. 

His age and experience gave him leverage to escape. Young and agile yet completely familiar with what sort of strategy old security guards used. He skipped over a coffee table with ease as he skidded towards the nearest fire exit.

It was exhilarating, one of the two ways Sunwoo gained his thrills in these kinds of places. Running away from the exact people he just played out of their money was such a high that most of the time he was laughing as he skipped just out of their reach.

He reached the fire exit, of course no fire exit alarm actually went off in these places when you opened it. Did they really want people to be distracted from forking all of their money over? Blinded by the tacky orange lights and melodic chimes of the slot machines. Absolutely not. Sunwoo banked on it as he pushed through the door, caged in by the metal fencing as he ran for the escape only to realize it had been bolted shut with heavy duty chains.

“This isn’t safe.” Sunwoo couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. A sealed escape door in a casino. You really were trapped in here even if you didn’t think you were.

Hearing the footsteps behind him become louder he knew time was scarce. He wasted no time in throwing his briefcase over the barrier, knowing fully he would be on the other side in no time as he fixed his fingers into the rusted gaps between the metal wires and began to climb. It wasn’t as smooth as something one would see in an action movie, Sunwoo struggling with the tiny gaps as his calloused fingers pulled him higher, thinking he would escape just in the nick of time but that unfortunate hand grabbed at his lingering ankle.

“Fuck off-” Sunwoo cursed, half at himself for being too slow as he teetered on the fence; semi being pulled back by the security guard as he used all of his weight to veer himself towards safety.

“Get off!” He yelled a little more forcefully, this time shaking his foot to get them to let go. He felt his shoe coming loose and he cursed once again because  _ fuck  _ he did not want to have to do this again; it wasn’t the first time he would’ve lost an article of clothing this way.

Eventually he pulled himself free (shoe intact and secured to his foot still) as he hurdled towards the ground on the other side. The guard cussing heavily at their own demise since the gates were firmly locked and they definitely had no key for those long rusted locks.

Sunwoo wasn’t graceful, his body slamming to the floor heavily with a loud thud as he grimaced and picked the briefcase back up. He knew better to linger, even if it hurt to stand up, because surely as this security guard lingered out here there would be others rerouting to other exits to catch him.

He picked himself up and ran. Knowing his car was parked a block away from this dank casino; he knew better in such low level places than to stick too close to the area.

In big casinos; the closer you were the better. Getting familiar with the staff, staying in the casino hotel all had benefits. It got people into rooms that weren’t open to the public eye, it got you cozy with big names… Not that Sunwoo had ever had that grace or chance. A kid walking in with little to no money to his name who was effortlessly good at the game? As if that wouldn’t scream suspicion and he would have security on him in a heartbeat. No, he had to work his way up.

He had to look the part, sound the part, act the part. Like all those high brow dumb-assess who wasted their hard earned money at the tables. He had to look like he belonged first.

And as he finally climbed into his car, throwing the briefcase onto the empty passenger seat next to him he patted down his pockets for his phone only to feel the long tear down the side of his jacket. Sunwoo clicked his tongue loudly in a hearty laugh. It must’ve happened when he was climbing over the fence.

He would have to buy new clothes. And he probably should avoid this area for a while since it was the fifth casino he had been chased out of in the past two months. Sore losers just simply couldn’t handle it, he guessed.

“Guess it’s time to hit the big city after all.” 

He set his car into gear and drove off. Briefcase full to the brim from his earnings over the past year as he headed straight down the highway and towards the city lights.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, i beta read nothing sorry not sorry for any mistakes!

After visiting some swanky, high end mall in the middle of a forest of hotels made only for luxury Sunwoo felt like a whole new person. He walked with confidence anyway, like he owned the place he just walked into, but now the difference was he was dressed like it too. He had to admit, he definitely enjoyed the feeling. Dressed with flashy, expensive sunglasses on despite it turning dusk he felt invincible. The slight tint to his world through the sunglasses dimmed the bright neon lights which beckoned people to throw their money away without a care in the world, but to Sunwoo all he could hear was the ringing chimes of the machines, calling out for another winner to claim their petty cash from them.

Sunwoo never saw the appeal in such games. Any game could be cheated (would there be a point playing if there wasn’t?) but slot machines involved technology and more than just a keen eye or a fast hand. There was too much risk, and Sunwoo had spent many months learning how to assess risk and reward enough to know it wasn’t worth it for him.

He planned on starting the game right. The game being getting on the  _ good side  _ of the house. He checked into the casino hotel, presenting a prepaid credit card which he had put just enough money on to cover the fee. Sunwoo hated using cards but he knew using cash would be too suspicious. He walked into his home for the foreseeable future, placing his new suitcase filled with recently bought threads and his trustworthy old leather briefcase to the side as he fully inspected the place.

A mahogany bed frame with silken sheets woven with golden threads. Sunwoo wasn’t classy; he had no idea what to call the bed frame other than  _ just wood  _ but he found it suited his style better than any other probably would have done. The bathroom was large and continued the delicate golden theme inside it. The accessories dusted in the same hue while the sparkling white tiles looked cleaner than anything Sunwoo had ever seen before. He guessed this is what living the high life really was life and he was certainly looking forward to getting used to it.

There was a sofa in the middle of the room, partially splitting the walk from the bathroom to the bed and he threw himself on it. The comfort allowed his bones to relax as he stretched out his black cladded legs. 

“This is the high life.” He hummed to himself.

* * *

He wasted another hour or so before heading down to the casino. Flicking through the TV which, as expected of any hotel, was filled for pay per view porn channels and terrible movies. Not like he needed either of them to entertain himself, knowing that the clacking sound of plastic chips was enough to get him going as he exchanged a large wad of money for just that. 

He perused the area, checking the tables. He was tired of mediocre blackjack in some small town bar, he wanted to challenge himself. He knew he was capable of so much more than half of the losers he watched as he trawled past the tables in search of somewhere good to settle. Finally he reached the area which peaked his interest.

Poker.

He wanted to play poker.

Playing poker involved a different method than playing blackjack. Counting outs rather than counting cards. Counting outs involved working out which cards improved your hand and their likelihood of appearing, whereas counting cards simply estimated your chances of having a better hand than the dealer.

There were so many more variables. Different hands to play, different aims within your own hand.

If you held an ace and a four of diamonds you could draw a straight flush. A winning hand in any given poker game as long as wild cards weren’t an option, and even then the chances of that would be even lower than getting a straight flush. Either way such a hand gave you over a fifty percent chance of taking home the win in which it could be wise to place all your bet in.

But then there was moving too fast. Placing too high of a bet too soon on in the game only meant two things; you had a winning hand or you’re stupid. Sunwoo was young enough that people would probably think the latter but no one turned up to a high stakes table stupid. Placing too high of a bet would scare people away if their outs weren’t favorable. Playing poker was also about coaxing in your opponents with a false sense of security.  _ I’m not sure, but I’m gonna risk it anyway. _

He finally joined a table, laying out his chips neatly on top of the green fabric. He loved the feeling of them as they fell through his fingers, knowing that sooner or later he would be prising back more than he put down. He was confident.

He anted in, throwing a lump of coins into the pot before his cards were dealt. A Jack of hearts and a three of clubs. Pretty much worthless to him as he quickly counted his outs. His best bet was a two pair (in other words, drawing another Jack and three from the deck) but even with those chances high overall his card ranking was low that he would easily be beaten if somebody a three of a kind depending on the draw. 

He was quick to fold. Already feeling his nerves rise and a little out of his depth but he kept calm. 

The next hand was drawn. An ace and a ten.

Sunwoo quickly got into the rhythm, determining his probability of winning along with trying to pick up social ticks from his opponents. Body language wasn’t something Sunwoo was adept at yet, it came with practice. And it didn’t help as a crowd gathered around the table like they did at any large casino.

Poker was as much a social spectacle as it was a personal show. The audience fed off the high voltage adrenaline from the players as their brows perfused sweat as they maintained their composure. Sunwoo chewed his lip as he focused on the game, anteing in once again before the next round.

A king and a jack; both of spades. The first card was shown to be an ace of spades and he couldn’t believe how he had lucked out as he kept calm and composed.

“Call.” He muttered, tossing in more chips as his eyes made their way around the table. He was looking for weakness. Seeing who wanted to challenge him, noting the man two to his left side calling a raise on the first round of betting. Sunwoo was intrigued.

_ He could have a king, that’s why he thinks he’s on to something.  _ Sunwoo’s mind ran through the possibilities of his opponent’s hand as the next card was drawn.

Eight of diamonds. It was a little crushing to have a minor blow to his plans but he liked to think he kept his poker face intact as the person to his right folded. 

“Raise.” 

He threw an extra thousand in on top of his call, this time keeping his eyes focused on the center of the table in hopes that it would make others think he was confident. Or stupid. Either thought would be welcomed right now as Sunwoo just wanted more cash on the table. His outs were good, many cards would give him a winning hand as he worked on the math of the unseen cards left on the table. His opponent could pull a flush at best but those statistics were low considering Sunwoo held two spades and there was one on the table already.

The person two to the left called in too, Sunwoo glancing over one more time before the next card was revealed.

_ Fuck _ . It took every muscle on his face not to show his disappointment when the seven of hearts was revealed. Suddenly none of his outs were clean cut and fear began to set in that he had misjudged the game.

“Fold.” Came another call to his left. It meant the decision jumped straight to him as his right hand lingered over the chips he had left. Folding now would just be humiliating to himself. His odds weren’t terrible, he could pull something from the wreckage that was building but as the percentage dropped for his perfect straight flush he felt himself falter.

“Check.” Sunwoo called. Opting to skip out on betting in hopes that it would push his opponents into revealing more about themselves.

_ If they bet or raise, they’re confident. If they check too they might be bluffing.  _

“Fold.” “Check.”

Now there were just two of them left in the game.

Sunwoo glanced over again. The older gentleman in a slightly oversized suit, a thin mustache tickling his upper lip; he looked like a typical poker player with a few years experience trying to scare off a youngster at the table. The next card was drawn.

Ten of spades.

Hope was rising again for Sunwoo as the crowd around muttered about probability and chances. He glanced over to his opponent to check their reaction and as expected of an experienced player he was faultless.

Sunwoo made a quick bet, throwing a raise into the table as he was now fully expecting the other to match it.

“Raise.” Came an unexpected response. They were raising his raise? They were that confident?

Sunwoo had the upper hand, he knew it. But he couldn’t let his opponent know that and scare him out of the game just yet. There was still one more card to go, more money to be made.

“Call.”

Showdown time as the final card was turned. Sunwoo could feel his heart in his throat, feel the heavy swell of the beating against his vocal chords as he tried his best to choke his anxiety back down. An unfortunate twitch of his nervous fingers as he steadied his eyes on the card.

Queen of hearts.

There it was, he had a flush. It wasn’t a straight flush as he had originally hoped for but Sunwoo quickly ran the numbers in his mind and his chances of winning against his opponent rose drastically to almost 75% and that was good enough for Sunwoo to go all in.

He pushed his entire bet forward, sparking gasps from the crowd around them at the sheer disbelief that this boy just put all of his money forward on the second game.

“Are you fucking crazy, kid?” The remaining man chortled. Something which would’ve hurt Sunwoo’s ego if he hadn’t been so sure of the numbers.

“No talking at the table.” The dealer tapped on the side for their attention back.

Sunwoo saw it. The rage on his face that said this man was too stubborn to quit. He didn’t want to be shown up by some stupid kid bluffing his way through the first rounds of poker, he wanted to show the rest of the world that this was an adult game not intended for Sunwoo.

Sunwoo had to hold in his all-knowing smirk.

“All in.” The man countered. The crowd hissed in excitement once more as now every chip that could be in play was in the center of the table and Sunwoo felt his greed for it growing out of control.

“Left side, reveal.” The dealer called for Sunwoo to bare his cards. 

Sunwoo slowly flipped his cards over, revealing the king and jack of spades in his hand.

“Ah, shit.” The guy called. The feeling of success coursing through Sunwoo’s body at the curse as he instantly knew he had won.

The guy flipped over two kings. Any other time three of a kind would’ve been a top play, especially with kings, but Sunwoo had him beat with a flush.

“I thought you were bluffing.” He slapped the cards down onto the table as the dealer pushed Sunwoo’s winnings towards him.

“I hoped you were thinking that too.” He couldn’t help the remark as he scooped the chips up. He had earned a well deserved applause from the audience as he relieved himself from the chair he was sitting in and headed straight to cash out his reward.

* * *

He earned himself a treat. And what would a treat be in any other form than alcohol after a well earned win? It was part of his idea to cozy up to the house, eat, drink, spend, and sleep in the house and eventually they would reward you. Sunwoo moseyed over to the casino bar with his briefcase in check full of his winnings that night. He hated letting that briefcase out of his sight.

“Whiskey on the rocks, please.” He called out to the bartender. There was barely anyone at the bar making it easy to pull up a chair and get served. The bar was made out of smooth marble, white, black and various shades of grey swirling together elegantly and Sunwoo couldn’t care less than to marvel at it until his drink arrived. 

“Better make that two.” A stranger at his side voiced. Sunwoo swiveled in his chair to look at who it could possibly be. Out of all of the faces he knew in these sort of establishments none were all too friendly to meet.

But this boy… His dimple in his cheek as he cocked a smirk down to Sunwoo as he pulled up the chair next to him had him intrigued by just how forward he was being.

The bartender eyed up Sunwoo as if to wait for his order. Sunwoo nodded his head once, signalling for the second drink.

“I wouldn’t take you as the type to enjoy  _ hard  _ liquor.” Sunwoo purposefully emphasized the word, the double entendre seemingly not lost on his new company.

“I bet there’s many things you would like to know about me right now, right?” His voice swam in some sort of deception. Ringing out danger alarms that Sunwoo was all too willing to ignore because  _ fuck yes  _ he wanted to know everything this stranger had to offer him right now.

The bartender returned with the second drink, dropping it in front of Sunwoo’s company as he raised his glass to cheers.

“To new company.” Sunwoo kept it casual for now. Bringing the glass to his lips, allowing the scent to fill his senses; the oak mixing with the aldehydes making his mind settle placidly as he finally took a sip. 

He looked back to his newfound friend, watching in awe as he tipped the entire glass back, shotting the burning liquid in two mouthfuls. He hissed a little, tongue swiping over his lower lip and suddenly Sunwoo found himself greedy for something else for a change.

“What did you say your name was again?” He arched an eyebrow as he placed his glass back down on the bar.

“I didn’t” 

Sunwoo felt his muscles tighten as the already addictive smirk curled on the other’s lips once more, the wetness of the whiskey inviting Sunwoo to taste.

“It’s Changmin.” 

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Sunwoo had absolutely every idea how they ended up back in his room. From the playful flirting to Changmin straightforwardly asking him to fuck him, how Changmin operated was something Sunwoo quickly was becoming infatuated with.

The way his smile was innocent but his teeth were vicious. Changmin sunk his canines into Sunwoo’s shoulder the moment he removed his shirt. He cried out a moan, Changmin lapping it up as his tongue slicked over the already bruising red mark. Before he could make another one Sunwoo pulled him by his hair to meet his eyes.

His eyes. At the bar they were so playful but now they were deeply seeded in lust and desire. Half closing over as he winced from the pain, Sunwoo tightened his grip until Changmin let out a deeply seated groan which travelled straight to Sunwoo’s cock. Their lips connected messily once more as Sunwoo engulfed those moans he was eliciting from Changmin’s mouth, pulling him back from the door they had just walked through and towards the sofa in the center of the room. 

Changmin’s hands were hot on his body, nails slightly protruding into his waist as he delved into the muscles of his back. The searing hot burn which followed the path Changmin was drawing on him made Sunwoo hiss as he disconnected their lips, which inevitably gave Changmin enough time to observe their whereabouts just moments before he pushed the other onto the sofa with force.

“Let me suck you off, king.” Changmin grinned that ridiculous smirk as he sunk to his knees, which had Sunwoo thinking of all the things he could do with that mouth. Sunwoo groaned slightly at the nickname, it felt fitting after his win tonight which of course Changmin had seen.

_ There’s nothing I love more than seeing big men crumble the way you took them down tonight. _ Changmin had said. 

_ I assure you, I love taking all kinds of people apart. Piece by piece. _

Sunwoo simply lifted his hips and Changmin’s fingers worked under the material, catching his underwear along with it. Changmin hastily pulled down Sunwoo’s pants until they pooled at his feet on the ground.

He ran his hand over Sunwoo’s semi-hard cock, letting him stiffen more in his hand as he slowly, almost teasingly stroked him as his lips hung open just centimeters from his tip. Changmin was a tease it seemed, and Sunwoo wanted to fuck that right out of him.

“I thought you said  _ suck _ .” He prompted, hand coming to grip into the strands of Changmin’s black hair once more. The boy chuckled a little at just how keen Sunwoo was to push his boundaries already. It didn’t stop Changmin from palming over him as he totally ignored Sunwoo’s hips bucking up to brush the tip of his cock against his lips.

“Where did all that patience go from the table, baby?” His playfulness suddenly felt uncalled for as Sunwoo sucked in his whine in response to that. Grip tightening once more in Changmin’s hair as he pulled him slightly more forward.

“I’m gonna use it to fuck you all night don’t you worry.”

Changmin’s laughter got stuck at the back of his throat as Sunwoo guided his own dick into his mouth. The heat of Changmin’s tongue immediately made Sunwoo melt further into the sofa as he let out a long awaited moan, Changmin steadied himself between Sunwoo’s thighs by placing a hand on either one.

“Just like that, there you go.” Sunwoo rocked his hips up slowly into Changmin’s mouth. The other’s eyes fluttered up to meet his, making Sunwoo’s dick twitch as he felt Changmin let his jaw go slack and invite him to fuck up into it while he watched him.

Sunwoo took that offer in an instant. A hand either side of Changmin’s face, Sunwoo gently caressed his cheeks with his thumbs as he slightly tilted Changmin’s head so he could see him better. He wanted to see his dick disappear inch by inch as he fucked into Changmin’s throat and how much Changmin loved being used.

Changmin’s mouth ran wet, precum and saliva dripping from the edge of his mouth as Sunwoo fucked into him. Gagging noises lost between the squelches each time Sunwoo hit the back of his throat, Changmin did his best to maintain eye contact as Sunwoo fucked himself close to his edge as he muttered a string of curses along the way.

“God your mouth is so good.” Sunwoo praised, finally pulling Changmin back long enough to allow him one large gasp of air before he plunged straight back in again. Changmin moaned around his cock, Sunwoo’s grip from the other’s jaw slipping as one hand retreated into his hair as he pulled him back finally once and for all.

“I could just cum all over that pretty face of yours.”

“Why stop there?” Changmin coughed in a laugh. He clambered to his feet as he unbuttoned his pants; kicking them off as Sunwoo lazily pumped over himself in anticipation and the glory of the boy stood naked before him. 

“There kinds of places always have lube in the drawer, right?” Changmin off handedly commented as he walked over to the bedside drawer to search for it.

“I don’t know, I’ve never stayed in such a swanky place.” Sunwoo stood up to join him, eyeing his ass as he leaned over to pick something out of the drawer.

Sunwoo approached him, taking his hips gently and it made Changmin stand up. Pressing his body against Sunwoo's, the boy moaned a little as he purposely arched back. Sunwoo took Changmin’s hair once again, pulling more gently to the side to access his neck, letting his thick lips trace tauntingly and ghost like down his jugular before pressing a kiss into it.

“Bite me, please. Make me feel good.” Changmin muttered under his breath. Sunwoo felt a little dizzy as the quiet request reached his ears, feeling Changmin’s hands snake onto his thighs to keep him steady as Sunwoo’s tongue traced over his skin.

Changmin moaned deeply as Sunwoo’s teeth nipped into him. Nowhere near the force or fierceness that Changmin had inflicted on him but nevertheless it felt good. Sunwoo dragged his lips heavily to the spot where Changmin’s neck met his shoulder, sucking on the skin to bring the blood to the surface making it more sensitive before biting once more.

“Ah, fuck.” Changmin cursed, nails digging into Sunwoo’s thighs making the boy hiss as he inflicted more marks down Changmin’s shoulder. Changmin began to grind against him, driving them both crazy as Sunwoo wrapped his hands around Changmin’s biceps and pushed him over the bedsheets. 

Changmin lay face down, putting his hand out which had a small packet of lube in it for Sunwoo to take as he kneels down onto one knee, using a hand to spread Changmin’s legs further as he slowly ran his fingers up the inside of his thigh and over his cock. The boy whined at the too soft touch as he pushed his hips up to meet Sunwoo’s finger at his ass.

Sunwoo pushed him down, choosing to remain quiet as he opened the packet, letting it drizzle messily down his ass as Sunwoo’s fingers gently lapped it around his awaiting hole, making Changmin squirm needily.

“Fuck, please.” He whined, Sunwoo traced two fingers around him tauntingly. Changmin began to push himself onto his hands but just at that moment Sunwoo inserted one finger into him and caused him to drop back on the bed.

“You just lie pretty there for me and let me fuck you.” Sunwoo said, Changmin moaned in some sort of agreement as he began to feel the coil in his abdomen tighten with need. He bucked his hips a little more to try and get him started.

“Then hurry up and do it.” 

To those words Sunwoo pressed Changmin’s hips into the bed, standing up over him allowing his bare erection to press into one of his ass cheeks as he fingered him slowly Changmin moaned loudly at how the restraint against his hips heightened the pleasure. He quickly added a second finger to satiate Changmin, fucking into him deeper and making the boy breathless beneath him and making Sunwoo feel like a victor all over again. 

He loved winning, in all forms and walks of life. Having this guy beneath him crying for breath as he fucked him felt just as good as winning on the table before and he craved more of it.

He added a third finger, Changmin gasping at how rough he was being but he loved it just like that.

“Fuck, please, harder-” He called, Sunwoo listened, driving his fingers to the knuckle into his ass, pistoning relentlessly until all Changmin could see was white as he wrapped his fists into the golden silk sheets.

“Are you gonna cum for me, hm?” Sunwoo growled, leaning over to nibble on Changmin’s ear, pressing his body weight down onto him and the new angle of his fingers made Changmin completely feral as he cursed loudly and muffled into the sheets.

“What was that?” Sunwoo was dissatisfied his moans weren’t comprehendable, his free hand pulling at Changmin’s hair to nudge his head to the side so he could hear him clearly.

“Fuck me Sunwoo please fuck me.” He begged. And Sunwoo was in no fit state to deny him.

His cock was seeping against Changmin’s thighs, slick running down them as Sunwoo leaned back and removed his fingers. He hissed as he grabbed his cock, it was painfully swollen as he used whatever lube was left in the packet to prepare him but just at that moment Changmin turned onto his side.

“Wait-” He twisted his body until he sat up, taking Sunwoo by surprise at how spry he was still able to be.

“Let me ride you.”

Sunwoo didn’t even have the chance to argue (even if he wanted to, which he didn’t) as Changmin pulled at his hand until he could toss him onto the bed. Sunwoo fixed himself so he was lying down properly as Changmin slowly climbed over his body, sitting himself on the boy's lap as he leaned over to kiss him again.

He was just forceful the first time they kissed, Changmin taking whatever he could get, pulling Sunwoo’s bottom lip between his teeth with a blisteringly hot bite. Sunwoo couldn’t contain the moan he let out as the same time Changmin bit his lip he rolled his hips against his swollen cock. But Changmin was seemingly back to teasing again as he made no intentions to move. Sunwoo took hold of Changmin’s hips in an attempt to get him to start.

It worked, Changmin releasing his lip as he moved further down his neck. Mixing heavy marks in with lighter ones, reaching his collarbone as he bit down firmly on it.

“Fuck.” Sunwoo cursed, finally Changmin looked up at him, eyes all too playful against Sunwoo’s impatient glare.

“Sorry, I got distracted.” Changmin smirked, that dimple making itself present again as he sat back on Sunwoo’s lap. Feeling his ass against his erection Sunwoo couldn’t help but push his hips up, Changmin letting his head fall back as the bulge rubbed against him, ready and waiting to be used.

“You’re just too delicious.” 

Finally he reached a hand around to take Sunwoo’s length, dragging his palm over it a few times, Sunwoo practically held his breath in anticipation as Changmin slowly moved down on him. Filling him up, feeling the stretch of Changmin around him sent Sunwoo crazy as he dug his fingers into Changmin’s hips and forced him down faster.

“Fuck you feel so good.” Changmin whined, eyes closing over as he clenched around Sunwoo. The boy lying down anchored his feet into the bed, not wanting to waste another second.

He held onto Changmin’s hips as he fucked up into him, sparing no thoughts about how ready he was. Sunwoo wanted him a whining mess. Changmin steadied himself with his hands on Sunwoo’s chest, allowing the boy beneath him to do all the work and fuck himself up into him as he growled lowly.

Sunwoo could feel the way Changmin tightened around him, rolling his hips purposefully in minute circles as Sunwoo thrusted into him. The combination between his hard thrusts and Changmin’s small movements made Sunwoo falter quickly, the other’s name spilling from his lips alongside a string of curses as he bit on his lower lip in order to keep control, that’s when Changmin pushed himself back to alter Sunwoo’s rhythm.

“Just sit back baby, you deserve it.” Changmin groaned, filling a new kind of fullness at the angle as he switched to lean himself back on Sunwoo’s legs. He slowly lifted himself up and down, Sunwoo whining like a wounded dog at the change of pace, his hands fell off Changmin’s hips as he lay flat on the bed and simply watched him instead.

He was a menace, an angel, a demon, and a great fuck all in one. Small moans building up in Changmin’s throat as he picked up the pace, eyes locked onto Sunwoo’s with such an intense stare Sunwoo could feel it in his dick.

“I’m gonna cum, please-” He gritted between his teeth. Changmin chuckled lowly at it. How easy it was to play with him until he couldn’t fight it anymore. Until the power reverted back to the person who truly owned it.

Changmin moved faster, slamming himself at the hilt over and over, driving himself crazy as Sunwoo’s cock met his sweet spot each time. His fingers tore into Sunwoo’s thighs, letting his mouth hang open as he felt his own orgasm climbing too.

“Sunwoo, get me off, fuck-” He shuddered, pushing his legs further apart to gain more traction, the glorious stretch tightening around Sunwoo’s dick moving his toes curl as he reached for Changmin’s dick.

They worked in sync, Sunwoo’s hand slicking pre-cum over Changmin’s dick for lubrication as Changmin fucked himself on him. The newly added sensation made Changmin’s hip jutter, making both of them hiss in pleasure as Changmin moved into grinding against him deeply and it pushed Sunwoo over his edge quickly, coming inside Changmin with a deep moan as he forced his hips up into his ass, making the boy on top topple forward as he continued to grind himself back onto him.

“ _ Fuck, Changmin- _ ” He cursed through gritted teeth, determined to get Changmin off with his hand as the boy relentlessly fucked Sunwoo through his orgasm to the point where it was turning painful to keep up with him.

“Almost there.” Changmin sighed, rocking his hips deeply as Sunwoo began to see stars. In the following moments he felt heat hit his stomach, Changmin spilling out onto him as his hips juttered to a halt and his breath hitched in his throat.

“Fuck.” Changmin gasped for air, feeling Sunwoo twitch and soften inside of him made him whine as he dug his fingers into Sunwoo’s chest to gain the strength to get up.

When Changmin finally rolled to the side of Sunwoo, Sunwoo stood up to fetch a hand towel from the bathroom. Making sure to wipe himself down before he returned to do the same to Changmin.

“So you just… live here?” Changmin panted, still having to catch his breath as he came down from his high.

“I guess, kind of.” Sunwoo replied.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Sunwoo had no idea how long he had been asleep for but judging by the burning feeling as he attempted to open his eyes and the fact that the room was still masked in darkness he assumed it wasn’t long. He wasn’t sure what awoke him from his slumber, some sort of uneasy feeling seemed to be calling out to him, making him stir as he turned over on the bed only to realize it was vacant of the person he shared it with last night. That woke him up a little faster.

Sunwoo reached his other hand out, knowing there was a switch for a bedside lamp somewhere to his side he quietly felt around for it before flicking it on and revealing the scene which subconsciously woke him up. 

Changmin was fully dressed, back in his black shirt and red pants from the night before and in his hand something that didn’t belong to him. It was Sunwoo’s briefcase, the one full of money, the hard earned cash he had won from previous casinos and the one tonight too. When the light illuminated the room Changmin’s eyes met his and Sunwoo became fierce with rage and anger. 

“Shit.” Changmin muttered.

It took all of a few seconds for Sunwoo to fling himself out of the bed, still naked from the late night escapades he had with the person now trying to alleviate him of his money. Changmin darted for the door but before he could even hope to reach it a hand on the back of his collar pulled him back and made him stumble to the ground.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He growled, Sunwoo didn’t think he had ever been this angry in his life, at least not until Changmin didn’t even respond to him and simply kept quiet as he shuffled onto his back like a submissive dog.

Sunwoo picked him up by his collar, fingers digging into the base of the other’s neck making Changmin splutter out a cough as his back met the nearby wall and he felt Sunwoo’s hand move to press on his vocal chords.

“Ooh I love it when you get rough, you should’ve done this last night.” Changmin managed to spit out, that damned smile still on his face drove Sunwoo even more crazy.

“Is this some kind of joke? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He asked again. Changmin lifted the briefcase of money between them, Sunwoo’s eyes flickering down momentarily to look at it before pushing even more on his windpipe.

“You weren’t seriously gonna keep all that money to yourself, were you?” Changmin’s voice strained a little and the worst part about it was he sounded like he was enjoying it. Sunwoo cocked his head to the side as he listened, minutely edging closer as if to listen more intently.

“Not after the night I just gave you.”

“What are you, some kind of prostitute?” Sunwoo glowered, the way Changmin let out a choked laugh to that question made Sunwoo falter; what part of trying to steal from him was funny? Especially now as he had him pinned up… He should be begging for his life. Sunwoo had no idea what to make of him.

“Oh god no, I guess you could call me a sugar baby, that term works.” Changmin felt Sunwoo’s hand become loose around his neck, giving him room to breathe as he brought his free hand up to wrap his fingers between the space around Sunwoo’s hand he had just created. Sunwoo stared in dismay; he honestly had no idea what was going through Changmin’s mind right now.

Changmin dropped the bag; an indication that he was no longer actively trying to steal from him, lulling Sunwoo into some false sense of security. Changmin continued with disarming him.

“I feast off all the oldies who have too much money and too little love in their lives.” Sunwoo’s hand was technically loose enough for Changmin to break free from but honestly he was enjoying the feeling a little too much. He shifted his weight on his feet a little, Sunwoo realizing it and tightening back up again as he edged his head in closer to push his dominance in the situation.

“Last night I was looking for something just like that when I crossed by your table. I saw you winning and thought ‘this could be fun’ since you’re so young and  _ hot _ .” The stress on the last word came from his strangled throat as he pushed against Sunwoo’s hand until he reached his cheek. Changmin’s tongue darting out to trace a line over the part of his jaw he could reach in such a taunting manner Sunwoo suddenly realized he was in fact still naked and probably in a more compromised position than he thought.

He tightened his grip once more, pushing Changmin back until he head knocked against the wall making the boy grimace through a chuckle as Sunwoo dug his fingertips into the sides of his neck.

“Tell me why I should let you leave here alive.” He hissed threateningly, this time the pressure against Changmin’s throat seemed to have him fidgeting to loosen it. A hand attempting to peel underneath Sunwoo’s fingers once more but he only tightened his grip, slightly pushing up until Changmin was forced to stand on his toes to keep himself breathing.

“Think about it.” He huffed out breathlessly. Sunwoo felt a little powerful that Changmin was now resorting to begging once again. Bringing back beautiful memories of last night at the most inappropriate times. The way Changmin began to writhe underneath his touch… He was starting to enjoy it a little too much.

“You want more cash to play with, I can get it for you. I’ve got many good connections, not just here but all over the city.” Changmin pushed against the strain on his neck once more, muttering lowly.

“We could be a team.”

“A team.” Sunwoo snorted in laughter, but still Changmin’s optimism didn’t drop as his eyes remained wide and hopeful at the offer.

“I just met you last night, you tried to steal from me, what makes you think I would trust you?”

Changmin found himself laughing again, the sweet sound seeping through the tightness of the air and once again completely throwing Sunwoo off course. How was it even at times like this Changmin seemed to be the one in control? It made Sunwoo a little uneasy but at the same time too curious not to give into it. Changmin’s fingers succeeded in pulling Sunwoo’s away from his neck, finally able to breathe but he didn’t take in a huge gasp of air which would alert Sunwoo to him having lost the game already. Instead he played into it, pressing a kiss against Sunwoo’s cheek, moving towards his jawline and onto his neck. Feathery soft and light which was a total one-eighty from the marks he beared from last night. Sunwoo sighed at the tenderness of the bruises as the other’s lips soothed over them.

“I don’t know.” Changmin muttered against his skin. His hands now joined the fun as they traced over Sunwoo’s tense shoulders, bringing them to relax as he worked down his chest. 

His lips traced over his shoulder, down his chest as Changmin sunk to his knees. Sunwoo doing everything in his power to hold in a moan as he saw where this was going.

“But some part of you wants to, doesn’t it?”

The way Changmin’s hand wrapped around his cock was enough for Sunwoo to retaliate. His hand delved into Changmin’s hair, tugging on it harshly to angle his face back up to him as that now familiar smirk grew on Changmin’s lips. Changmin lazily worked Sunwoo to half-mast, Sunwoo remaining completely quiet as letting Changmin think this wasn’t a way to win him over would be some kind of blow to his masculinity and dominance. Seeing the other boy on his knees and already so eager to please was enough satisfaction for now visually, he didn’t need to vocalize that.

“What was that thing you said last night?” Changmin hung his lips open at the end of his sentence so invitingly Sunwoo instantly knew what he was on about. Changmin’s thumb slicked over his slit, coating Sunwoo’s tip in precum already as he subconsciously licked his lips in anticipation. Sunwoo’s grip tightened once more as he bit down on his bottom lip.

“ _ I could just cum all over that pretty face of yours. _ ” Changmin quoted.

It was enough to push Sunwoo over his edge, losing the last bit of self control he had he pulled Changmin forward until he engulfed his cock completely, the dryness at the back of Changmin’s unprepared throat making him wince and Changmin cough, the tightness constricting Sunwoo’s dick made him twitch as he pulled all the way back out again.

“Let’s get on that then.” Was Sunwoo’s only warning as Changmin’s eyes glimmered up to him as he began to throat fuck him once more.

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Somehow Sunwoo managed to fall asleep once more. Albeit against his will as he definitely did not trust Changmin as far as he could throw him but he was definitely too spent from a night of pleasure to stay awake for any longer. 

But surprisingly (or not since it was Changmin’s idea to become a team) Changmin was there in the morning. Awake, dressed still, as if he was waiting for Sunwoo to wake up so he could propose a new plan.

_ ‘Let’s go to a different casino.’ _

Sunwoo was coaxed into the car, putting it into drive before he even asked where they were going. Changmin had this aura about him that spoke bounds of confidence even when he barely said anything. Sunwoo didn’t know whether it was the look in his eye or the smirk on his lips which made him feel like such a sucker for believing him so quickly.

“So where are we going?” He asked. Changmin sat in the back of the car, Sunwoo having no idea why he wasn’t in the passenger seat next to him as he drove. Changmin lay with his legs sprawled across the three back seats, the single suitcase Sunwoo brought with him in the trunk (alongside Changmin’s one they picked up on the way out) and his trusty briefcase nestled under his seat.

“There’s a place a little to the west of here called Royal Lights.” Changmin groaned in a slight stretch as Sunwoo watched him through the rearview mirror. Sunwoo knew every high end casino in the city so the name rang a bell with him as he pulled off in that direction.

“Lots of high rollers with a penchant for pretty faces, if you know what I mean.” Changmin’s eyes connected with Sunwoo’s through the mirror. 

“It’ll be easy for you to play your way up in there.”

“How do you know?” Sunwoo made it clear he still didn’t trust Changmin. He wasn’t going to take his word for anything, it didn’t matter how hard he tried because the fact he tried to rob him literally a few hours after they met was enough to imprint a bad taste in Sunwoo’s mouth for the rest of the time they were together.

“I slept with them. Guys, girls. I learned all their pretty little secrets. And their bank account numbers, just in case you ever want to know.” The way those words rolled for naturally off Changmin’s tongue gave the other insight into exactly how long he had been doing this for. He wasn’t much older than Sunwoo that was for sure, but his experience rang out loudly with exuberated confidence and finesse.

“So do you play?” He questioned. Sunwoo realized that even in such a short space of time Changmin definitely knew more about him than he did about Changmin. He had no idea what Changmin was doing in that casino except  _ hunting  _ if there was a better term for it. Changmin knew that he played, what he played, he even knew how much money he had and Sunwoo had nothing on him back.

“No I just watch.” Changmin replied simply. He hummed a little in the back seat, wondering if he should indulge Sunwoo with more details.

“I like to consider myself a con artist. I let them think that I love them and in return they tell me whatever I want to know.”

“I don’t know why you think telling me the tricks of your trade is wise when we just met.” 

“For good cause,  _ mon cher. _ ” Changmin pulled his feet to the floor, forcing himself to sit forward in the seat as his hands moved around Sunwoo’s seat until they interlaced over his body as he kept driving. Sunwoo felt the other’s lips creep up to his ear over the headrest, nestling comfortable in the nook of the seat as he purred into Sunwoo’s ear.

“You have to learn to trust me if we’re going to be working together.”

* * *

Before they checked into the casino hotel Sunwoo had to renew his prepaid credit card. Even for the brief moments he left Changmin alone in the car he fully expected the boy to steal it and drive off or something. There was no trusting bone in his body despite the fact he agreed to work with him like this. It was for the money. Sunwoo had done worse things in the past for money so allowing this stranger into his bed in reward for earning bigger payouts like he promised honestly didn’t seem like too bad of a deal to him.

The room they checked into was much grander than Sunwoo’s previous one. The bathroom had a jacuzzi bathtub laced with marble assets and black lined trimmings. The bedroom hosted a walk in wardrobe, not like they needed it with two suitcases between them, but the storage was greatly appreciated.

Changmin threw himself on the bed, next to Sunwoo who was unpacking from his suitcase. The older boy rolled on the luxurious sheets like some sort of domestic kitten feeling the freedom of their owner’s bed while they were at work during the day. Stretching out fully as he watched Sunwoo momentarily.

“So how do you suppose we work together?” Sunwoo broke the barrier. He wasn’t simply going to be a free ride or meal ticket for this boy if he wasn’t going to pull his weight. Changmin pouted as he felt his playtime was over and business started and he sat up.

“You can leave all the footwork to me, I’ll find you the perfect table to make the most money from.” He began. Sunwoo was happily surprised that he actually seemed to have a plan in mind. 

“I know most of these clients so well that I can tell when they’re bluffing. That’s an important part of the game, right?” Changmin sat up, shimmying himself to the edge of the bed where Sunwoo had his legs pressed against it while he unpacked. It redirected his attention fully to Changmin who parted his thighs as he made himself comfortable as he looked Sunwoo up and down.

“Some a simple twitch of their eye to a flick of their fingers.” Changmin’s tone shifted into something so intoxicating it was almost like time began to slow down in the room. Changmin laced his fingers around the edges of Sunwoo’s pants, following the line of the suit pants faintly up towards his thigh.

“Trust me, everybody has their weaknesses.” The sweetness practically dripped off his tongue as he looked up to Sunwoo with fervor. Sunwoo gulped down the ball in his throat and disregarded him completely.

“And that helps me out… how?” 

Changmin laughed, a broken chuckle from his chest as he broke into a wide smile almost childlike and the switch made Sunwoo feel dizzy and drunk. Changmin used that exact moment to pull Sunwoo onto the bed. In one swift movement he hooked his leg over Sunwoo’s hips so he was sitting on top of him, not even giving Sunwoo a second to take in what happened before his nimble fingers moved to unbutton his shirt and reveal his still bruised skin from last night.

“Your method isn’t everything, it still rooms for error, uncertainty.” He pulled the material open as Sunwoo lay motionless. Watching the greed in Changmin’s eyes grow and he didn’t know if it was power, money, or for the boy laying beneath him. Either way Sunwoo was incredibly turned on with just how easily Changmin could flip like this.

“But if you know your opponent well enough…” Changmin leaned back as he pulled off his own shirt and finally Sunwoo’s hands moved to take their place on Changmin’s hips.

“Together.” Changmin muttered, returning his lips to Sunwoo’s neck as he traced upwards until he met his lips, lingering with a fiery look in his eyes, feeding off Sunwoo’s anticipation as if it was his life source.

“We could be foolproof.” 

Sunwoo let out a shuddered moan as Changmin captured his lips. His hand coming to cup Sunwoo’s jaw making him tilt upwards slightly so Changmin could deepen it. His tongue claiming stake in Sunwoo’s mouth as the boy underneath grinded his hips up to Changmin’s, already indicating that he was raring to go when he was.

Changmin listened. If not for the people pleaser that he was then for his sheer own need as he stopped the kiss to shuffle further down Sunwoo’s body until his hands could finally pull the other’s pants off and down to his thighs, Sunwoo completing the rest of the work as he kicked the material down the remainder of his legs. 

Changmin wasted no time in delving his lips to the waistband which still covered Sunwoo’s growing erection, his mouth teasing along the lines cutting into his hips heading towards his pelvic bone. Sunwoo let out a string of curses as Changmin’s hands began to squeeze at his thighs, the aching muscles still covered in light marks from the night before.

“Let me fuck you.” Sunwoo jumped at it, knowing how good Changmin felt last night around his dick and now he was craving more of it. Sunwoo began to sit up but Changmin quickly placed his hands on the other’s shoulders to push him back down.

“Patience. God, don’t any of you card players have it?” He teased, Sunwoo held in the groan as his back met the bed once more, pulling himself to his elbows to look down his body

Changmin palmed over Sunwoo’s growing erection, and with his other hand he worked on freeing himself.

“You think you would appreciate the art of the long game but you’re just as needy as the rest of them.” Changmin taunted over him until Sunwoo finally gave in. He stopped bucking his hips in a vain attempt to meet Changmin’s hand and once the other boy realized that he smirked down as he kissed through his underwear.

“That’s better.”

Changmin quickly threw off his own pants before returning to Sunwoo. Pulling the thin material of his underwear completely away from his body he stroked over his free erection a few times before pressing his lips along the side of him.

“Changmin-” Sunwoo moaned and in that instant Changmin’s eyes peeked up to him almost like a warning not to start pushing again. Sunwoo gulped, his hands plundering into the sheets to keep him sane as Changmin teased his tongue along Sunwoo’s cock before his lips finally met at the tip.

The moan Sunwoo let out as Changmin enveloped his dick was elongated and low. Rumbling in his chest as it turned into a hiss between his teeth, Changmin’s hands coming to steady Sunwoo’s hips as he hilted at the base of his dick, swallowing a little at the feeling of Sunwoo in the back of his throat before he pulled half way back up. 

Changmin was so good with his mouth, using his tongue perfectly to trace alongside the prominent vein of Sunwoo’s dick, sucking just hard enough to make blood rush away from Sunwoo’s head making him feel dizzy. Every time he hit the back of his throat that slightly sound of wetness made Sunwoo more and more insatiable as he couldn’t help but fuck up slightly in the hotness of Changmin’s mouth. And he let him for the time being.

“Changmin, I’m gonna cum.” Sunwoo made him aware and in that instantly Changmin lifted his lips from him and Sunwoo groaned at the loss of sensation. He leaned over, still keeping his legs pressed into the sheets either side of Sunwoo’s thighs as he reached for the drawer, pulling out a packet of lubrication just like he had done in the other hotel and Sunwoo was suddenly reminded that this was technically  _ Changmin’s  _ arena. He knew these walls and what was inside of them, and he was proving it by haltering over Sunwoo right now.

He couldn’t have that.

Sunwoo sat up, encasing Changmin’s slender waist by wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a heavy kiss. He didn’t care for the saltiness of his own precum as he swiped his tongue over Changmin’s, hearing the boy moan into his mouth as he lay his hands on Sunwoo’s shoulder to steady himself. Sunwoo only pulled back to take the packet from Changmin’s fingers, opening it with his teeth before letting it leak over his fingers as Changmin pulled himself even closer to Sunwoo’s body if it were even possible.

“How do you want this?” Sunwoo muttered, Changmin pressed kisses against the corner of his lips as he hummed in thought.

“I have an idea.”

Changmin pushed Sunwoo back once more, the boy careful not to grab the sheets and wipe away the slick on his fingers as Changmin moved above him. He turned his body so now his ass was presented to Sunwoo’s vision as he graced himself with the sight of Sunwoo’s dick below his lips once again.

Sunwoo couldn’t help himself. His palms came to meld against the mounds of Changmin’s ass cheeks, kneading them as quiet mewls escaped the other’s lips. He felt Changmin’s breath on his dick just seconds before he felt the heat of his mouth back on him. Sunwoo was in paradise.

He leaned up, swiping his tongue against Changmin’s hole which made him moan around his dick, Sunwoo loving how that felt so he did it again and again. 

“Fuck, please- inside.” Changmin pulled away just long enough from sucking Sunwoo off to plead for and Sunwoo obliged by slowly tracing his finger around his puckered entrance before inserting it.

The low moan that Changmin let out as his lips fell away from Sunwoo’s cock again spurred the other on to push further. He didn’t waste time before adding a second, maybe a little too early as Changmin hissed and bucked his hips at the sensation but he took it anyway without complaining. Changmin’s mouth returned to Sunwoo’s dick, bobbing up and down lazily as Sunwoo established his own rhythm, scissoring Changmin open and watching the glorious sight of his fingers fucking deeply into his ass as he whined around his cock.

“Fuck, take another.” Sunwoo growled to himself, pushing a third finger in and feeling Changmin’s walls clench around him. Changmin’s body weakened, his chest collapsing against Sunwoo’s stomach as his mouth fell open once more as he moaned loudly at the fullness.

Sunwoo curled his fingers, Changmin’s moan turning into a high pitched whine as he played over his prostate. Sunwoo purposely kept his fingers there, nudging it again and again until Changmin was a whining mess and writhing against his body viciously in an attempt to pull away from being overstimulated by it.

“God just fuck me  _ please please Sunwoo _ .” He begged out loud, Sunwoo having zero of his self control left as he felt close to bursting himself. He pulled his fingers out but before he could even reposition Changmin was once again too quick to move and was now pressing Sunwoo into the bed by his shoulders. This boy was seriously a demon when it came to fucking.

Changmin didn’t waste a breath, grabbing Sunwoo’s dick he placed himself over it, slowly unraveling himself down onto his length as he groaned disgustingly loudly like an animal in heat. Sunwoo felt intoxicated, primal urges taking over as he gripped Changmin’s hips insanely tightly, enough to leave a bruise. The boy on top moaned at it, biting his lip as he came to the hilt again and didn’t even give Sunwoo time to savor it as he began to pick up speed and bounce on his dick.

“God, fuck,  _ fuck _ .” Sunwoo spat at the beautiful sight of Changmin once again fucking himself onto him. The way the boy’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lost himself almost completely, his body moving autonomously against the rut of Sunwoo’s shallow thrusts in a vain attempt to meet him. The sound of skin slapping echoed between their moans as Changmin’s voice began to hiccup and he lost control, Sunwoo taking over as he began to grind Changmin’s hips against himself.

“Fuck just like that, right there-” Changmin panted out of breath. Feeling Sunwoo deep inside of him, hitting the same spot as he did before with his fingers. Sunwoo listened, planting his feet into the bed to help keep the angle as he rolled his hips deeper into Changmin’s ass to aid his untouched orgasm. 

“ _ Fuck! _ ” Was the only thing Changmin could scream as he came, his untouched cock spilling out onto Sunwoo’s stomach as his nails dug deeply into his chest to keep him upright. 

Sunwoo used the grip he had on Changmin’s tired body to keep fucking up into him, sending the boy spiraling into madness as he lost his voice from being overwhelmed with too much pleasure.

It didn’t take Sunwoo long, feeling Changmin tighten around him as he leaned forward a little, giving Sunwoo a new angle to piston into him shortly. Changmin crying down into his ear is what sent him over the edge, cumming inside of him and making Changmin squirm and tense at the feeling of being full as Sunwoo tried his best to lower his hips down to the bed and relax.

It took them both a moment. Overcoming the high of their orgasms as Sunwoo’s hands roamed the muscles of Changmin’s back. Changmin let his claws retract from the marks they had left on Sunwoo’s pectorals. They both winced slightly as Sunwoo pulled out, Changmin immediately pushing himself over to the side as Sunwoo sat up to catch his breath.

“Foolproof, huh?” Sunwoo panted, standing up in slight agony as the muscle ache already began to set in. He fetched a towel again, cleaning himself off before returning to Changmin.

“The best team.” 


	6. Chapter 6

They had made their game plan the night they arrived; Changmin would enter the casino first and scout out the tables. By the time Sunwoo would come down all he had to do was find which table Changmin was watching and wait for a place to open up so he could start playing himself, at which point Changmin would start sending him signals to help him know if his opponents were bluffing or not.

It seemed foolproof… If Changmin was as good as he said he was. He still couldn’t trust him, even if they worked as a  _ team _ as Changmin wanted them to be. What did Changmin gain out of it if not the byproduct of Sunwoo’s hard earned cash? A fancy place to stay and too look like arm candy, but is that really all he wanted? Sunwoo couldn’t be so sure.

But still it worked. He headed down to the casino knowing that by now, an hour after Changmin had left the hotel room, he would’ve found the best table in the house and would be waiting by it. Sunwoo cashed more chips in, taking them in a pot as he wandered the casino pretending to be interested in the tables he passed by briefly until eventually his eyes found Changmin in the crowds.

He recognized him from behind, spotting the clothes he was wearing as he left the room an hour ago. A white shirt cladded with a black belt around his waist. Black jeans to fit tightly around his legs. It was easy to see why anyone in this place would be attracted to him, he had natural charisma and charm and not to mention  _ looked  _ the way he did. Sunwoo donned a black blazer with a white t-shirt underneath it, slim fit down to his hips and black slacks to match.  _ Smart casual _ as he called it.

When the time finally came for Sunwoo to take up a spot at the table Changmin moved into a better position. Off to the side behind two other players. From his vantage point he could easily make eye contact with Changmin as well as keeping it low key as if he was just checking out other players himself.

“Ante in.” The dealer called. Sunwoo placed his starting bet forward. He was dealt his two cards which he quickly glanced at before placing them flat on the table again with a hand covering them.

_ Shit. _ Three of clubs and seven of hearts.

He almost wanted to fold immediately, not feeling his luck as the fellas to his right side began to check and call. By the time it reached him he hadn’t even glanced up at Changmin, not needing to yet since nobody had given him any reason to doubt them. But suddenly he was doubting himself.

This was a stupid idea, he thought. 

He couldn’t really trust Changmin, did he even know the rules of this game if he just watched all the time? Sunwoo began to run the numbers through his head; his ideal would be to run a straight (cards from any suit which run in numerical order) and his worst bet? A one pair but with his highest card being a seven he didn’t have high hopes for that either.

“Call.” Sunwoo said as he threw his chips in. Matching the bet of the person next to him as the person on the left folded. By this point there were six of them left in the game as the first card was revealed.

_ Queen of spades _ . Fuck. Sunwoo’s entire chances of pulling anything good were off the table as the first person placed a raise on the table. Sunwoo wasn’t going to entertain the idea of staying in play… Not until he looked up at Changmin at least. 

  
  


His eyes were square on the player who had just raised their bet. Sunwoo looked down at his own cards as the soul next to him folded, time was running out for Changmin to make any sort of signal at him if he was going to help him play this game.

Changmin glanced at him, quickly chewing on his lip before averting his attention elsewhere.

_ Was that his hint? _

Some measly bite of his lip was going to help Sunwoo bluff his way through and win? He had to admit that raising a bet on the first card was a ballsy move which either meant this person had a great hand or was playing bluff already, so he gave Changmin the benefit of the doubt as he checked his opponent out himself.

Sunwoo stared. Not too long to rouse he was suspicious, but enough to miss what Changmin was hinting at. The man was chewing, on nothing in particular probably but chewing was a sign of nervousness in this game. And being nervous was a sign of bluffing. Sunwoo thought he could chance it. Recalculating his odds to maybe he could pull a two of a kind (two threes and two sevens) he called it in.

“Call.” He matched the bet.

As the game whittled down and others dropped out, Changmin proved his worth a few more times. Picking at his wrist nonchalantly to indicate somebody’s finger twitching as they rested above their cards. Staring too long at another opponent to indicate how they were avoiding the card turnover (which any truly invested person would be interested in seeing their cards show). They really were making an outstanding team as Sunwoo bluffed his way through a shit deal with now just two of them left. The cards laid out before them before the final turn;

_ Queen of spades, two of hearts, jack of hearts, seven of clubs. _

Sunwoo had a pair of sevens, a basically zero percent chance of winning this statistically speaking but every time he looked at Changmin the boy reassured him to keep playing. And now… Here he was. Totally bullshitting his way through this round with the stakes high. Changmin was also right on that front too; the players in this place really were high rollers. The guy to the left side of him remained. Once again he called to raise his bet and Sunwoo physically held himself back from gulping out loud.

“Call.” He felt he had no option but to do it. He had come this far and he supposed if he fucked it all up he could just blame Changmin for it. He glanced over to the boy in question one last time before the final card was turned.

_ Eight of spades. _

His chances of winning were 4.35% with his one pair of sevens, which technically was still hopeless as the other 95.65% lay with his opponent. Sunwoo wishes he could shoot himself for getting into this situation in the first place.

“Left side reveal.” The deal prompted his opponent to turn his cards first. Sunwoo could hardly look but Changmin’s eyes couldn’t be peeled away from the guy who was lifting his cards up.

The crowd gasped. Sunwoo looked.

_ King of Clubs and Ace of spades _

A high card play.

Sunwoo had won.

He flipped his cards over with a smarmy look on his face, knowing he had outbluffed the bluffer as the dealer claimed Sunwoo’s victory and proceeded to push his winnings in his direction. The crowd cheered, Sunwoo collected his winnings of a couple of thousand dollars and quickly made his exit to cash it in.

* * *

The night proceeded as planned. Sunwoo returned to the room first and Changmin lingered at the table to make it look less suspicious. Sunwoo was on the bed, counting the wadded notes wrapped in cool silver clips with his fingers, enjoying the supple feeling of the notes against his skin as the door opened and Changmin entered.

“That was amazing!” He raved, Sunwoo stood up to greet his partner and Changmin quickly latched himself around Sunwoo’s body as if his life depended on it. Changmin’s lips met Sunwoo’s ear, then jaw, then cheek, then lips. Peppering him wherever he could get it as his hands folded themselves at the back of Sunwoo’s neck.

“That was the best win I’ve seen in awhile, you were amazing, brilliant even.” He praised profusely. Sunwoo couldn’t contain his smirk because  _ yes  _ he did play that game extremely well, thank you very much.

Sunwoo gently peeled Changmin off of him, returning to lean over the bed as he continued to count the money but sooner rather than later Changmin’s hands appeared around his waist and his lips met the back of the other’s neck.

“If we keep going like that we will be unstoppable, unreachable.” His voice hinged with those desires, thick and dripping with neediness as Sunwoo felt goosebumps run up and down his spine. Changmin’s lips turned hot against his ear.

“We can do anything.” Changmin growled. Sunwoo liked where this was going. The praise, hearing how well he was doing. Okay Changmin was talking about ‘ _ we’  _ but in Sunwoo’s mind it was all about him. Changmin moved his lips down towards the nape of his neck.

“And who says we have to stop at this small league shit, huh? Let’s work our way up. Let’s get you into those backrooms; where the real money is. And why stop there? Let’s go further we could-” 

Sunwoo finally interrupted Changmin’s fantasies with his reality, his hands coming to interlock with Changmin’s wandering ones as he stopped him at his hips as Changmin began to lift his shirt up.

“You don’t think I’m doing enough now? I made ten grand tonight.” He bit slightly, looking over his shoulder with a glower at Changmin almost like he was warning him. Changmin returned it with a sickly sweet smile.

“Sweetie.” Changmin adorned. Sunwoo felt his defenses crumble slightly already. His hands slipped from Changmin’s as the boy curved a hand under his shirt once more.

“You’re doing great. So great. In fact…” Changmin ran a stripe up Sunwoo’s neck with his hot tongue, making the boy arch against his touch as Changmin’s hands moved down to cup Sunwoo’s ass tightly.

“Let me show you how great you are.” 

Sunwoo couldn’t help the slight yelp he let out as Changmin groped him hard. Changmin laughed slightly as Sunwoo turned to look at him, now facing each other as Changmin reached back around to pull Sunwoo against him.

“What’s wrong? You’ve never taken it before?” Changmin asked with genuine curiosity. Sunwoo felt the heat rise in the room.

“Well yeah but-” He began to argue that was not how the dynamic worked between them so far but just in that second Changmin pushed him back onto the bed with enough force to knock him breathless.

“Usually everybody just wants some cute, little pretty boy they can play around with.” Changmin’s voice rang out fake innocence. Probably the kind he used with his past clients… One that Sunwoo saw as slightly familiar suddenly.

Changmin used the time that Sunwoo was stunned into silence to place himself over Sunwoo’s lap, pulling his own shirt off and tossing it to the side before Sunwoo sat up almost in protest.

“And while I’m happy to do that with the others…”

Changmin quickly stripped him of his shirt and pushed him back down onto the bed. Sunwoo felt his heart racing almost like it was trying to escape his chest.

Changmin leaned down, pressing way too gentle kisses to Sunwoo’s chest before he looked up under his eyelashes at the boy he was about to ruin.

“But with you, I just really want to sink my teeth into it.” 

With that warning Changmin sunk with teeth into Sunwoo’s collarbone, making the boy cry out in a mix of agony and pleasure. The area was already bruised from the other night, pinkish marks still remaining as Changmin’s tongue glided over them and his teeth sank in to create fresh ones.

“You taste so fucking good- every part of you.” Changmin praised, his lips moving down to one of Sunwoo’s nipples as the boy beneath him began to rut his hips up in some vain attempt to create friction. Sunwoo’s hands delved into the sheets either side of his head, Changmin really felt like he was giving himself over to absolutely every mortal desire he had ever had before, marking Sunwoo’s body fiercely as if he was his possession and Sunwoo could only writhe and call out the other’s name in a whine. 

His tongue swirled around the other’s nipple, the softness providing relief to the marks which burned slightly in the hot air of the room. It didn’t last long though as Changmin took it between his teeth, biting slightly as he sucked loudly enough for Sunwoo to hear it, making him arch his upper back into Changmin’s face as he called out once more.

“Fuck,  _ Changmin _ .” He was already out of breath. Changmin heard that and removed his mouth, looking up Sunwoo’s body, catching the pants out of his thick lips as strands of hair stuck to his sweat beaded forehead. 

“You look so pretty underneath me.” Changmin muttered, returning heavy kisses to Sunwoo’s chest as he moved further down his body. Reaching his pants he unbuttoned and pulled the zipper down, teasingly slowly hoping that by now Sunwoo had learned his lesson about patience. Sunwoo simply lifted his hips as Changmin slid both his pants and underwear down his legs and off the bed.

“Spread them for me baby, nice and wide.” Changmin ordered in such a soft tone that Sunwoo immediately did as he was told.

Changmin fetched a packet of lube once more, choosing to leave it untouched as he returned to stand at the end of the bed, the soul sucking stare he was giving Sunwoo who lay vulnerable and ready for the taking below him once again made the boy in charge snap as he wrapped his arms around Sunwoo’s thighs. With a quick jolt he pulled him to the end of the bed, immediately sinking down to place kisses against the tender inside of his thighs, Sunwoo bit his lip fully expecting him to go feral any minute.

And it came. Kisses turning into teeth as Changmin bite into the sensitive area of his thigh, causing Sunwoo to hiss loudly as Changmin worked on comforting him by swiping his tongue over the new mark. But he showed no signs of letting up. Moving from section to section, covering the boy in crimson markings littered by the indents of his teeth, showing no mercy as he held Sunwoo’s thighs apart to stop him from fighting against it.

“Changmin please- god.” He broke out in several cries. Changmin’s eyes flickered over the boy’s totally hard erection which was just as blistering red as the marks he had just left on him.

“Too much, baby? You’ve been such a good boy, let me reward you.” Changmin cooed. He lifted himself up just enough to allow his lips to hang tauntingly over Sunwoo’s dick, letting spit collect on his tongue before allowing it to spill out between his lips, dripping down Sunwoo’s cock as the slick sensation made Sunwoo’s toes curl in anticipation.

Changmin’s tongue followed, licking the spit back up into his mouth from the base of Sunwoo’s cock until he met the tip, encasing him with his wet mouth and sucking hard on his head making Sunwoo feel dizzy with intense pleasure as Changmin popped off him once more.

“Are you ready?” 

Sunwoo nodded furiously. He didn’t know what he was agreeing to but at this point he didn’t care; he just wanted to be fucked so badly by Changmin.

Changmin planted another kiss on the inside of Sunwoo’s thigh. It made the boy tense, worrying he was going back to biting but luckily for him Changmin had other plans. He looked down as he heard the packet being torn open, Changmin was nestled between his legs off the end of the bed. As Changmin prepped himself Sunwoo felt the heat in his stomach burn through his entire body. Especially as Changmin proceeded to push a finger into him.

Sunwoo let out a string of curses, Changmin’s long and slender finger delving straight into him, giving him no time to prepare as he already began fucking. Sunwoo gasped to himself, fingers digging into the sheets as Changmin peered up to watch his expression. Sunwoo’s lips hung open in silent moans, chest rising and falling as Changmin picked up the speed before adding a second finger.

Two quickly became three and Sunwoo was squirming out of control, especially as Changmin returned his teeth to his inner thigh, nipping at the preexisting marks he had left moments before, barely needing to touch them to drive Sunwoo even more wild as he reached a hand down to his own cock to start fucking himself.

“Is that enough, do you want more?” Changmin asked him, pumping his fingers deeper into Sunwoo’s ass as Sunwoo tried his best to match his hips with him.

“M- want you- please-” He muttered barely comprehensible as Changmin opted to ignore it for a moment. 

He fucked into him harder, three fingers working to stretch him wide as Sunwoo moaned loudly at the feeling. He had never been fucked so well before, his hands growing tighter around his own cock as he fucked up into his hand, the tips of Changmin’s fingers curling just enough to hit his sweet spot making him cry messily in a wanton whine.

Finally Changmin removed his fingers, leaving Sunwoo to cry for a different reason for a moment before Changmin grappled with Sunwoo’s hips to turn him over. The younger boy had no fight in him to restrain, allowing Changmin to twist him until his chest met the mattress, Changmin pulled his ass into the air before bringing a hand down heavily to slap one of his cheeks.

Sunwoo hissed, Changmin kneaded over the slightly pinkish mark he had just inflicted before moving to take off his own pants.

Sunwoo didn’t have to wait long, feeling Changmin’s fingers press up against his entrance once again. He pushed the same three fingers from earlier back in, making Sunwoo groan from his chest and into the sheets as his face remained pushed into them. It was only momentarily, Changmin pulling back out so he could line himself up with his hole. He pushed in deeply, hilting quickly as his hips met Sunwoo’s ass and practically pushed him forward, Sunwoo crying out at how deep he was buried inside of him.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good around my dick. Do you like that?” Changmin held onto Sunwoo’s hip with one hand, the other soothing over an ass cheek, pulling on it slightly so he could see how deep he was in his lover’s ass too and Sunwoo simply whined in response to his question.

Changmin slapped his ass firmly.

“I said  _ do you like that _ ?” He asked more firmly. The slap didn’t hurt but it made Sunwoo clench around Changmin which sent shivers down his shine as he cried out at it.

“Yes- yes I like that.” He replied properly.

Changmin pulled Sunwoo’s hips back, somehow managing to bury himself even further as Sunwoo gasped for air, reaching his hands into the sheets to steady himself as Changmin picked up a rhythm and began to fuck into him. Deep, long thrusts aided by Changmin pushing and pulling Sunwoo’s hips to make him do all of the work. Changmin simply stood back as he watched his dick disappear into Sunwoo inch by inch.

“Fuck yourself baby, come on, you can do it. Take my dick.” Changmin muttered and Sunwoo’s nails dug into the sheets to help him gain the strength to listen.

He began to move his hips, rocked back and forth and  _ fuck  _ this felt so good, better than any other dick he had taken before as Changmin’s hands came to knead at his ass again, only encouraging him to move faster.

“Fuck Changmin, yes yes.” He groaned over and over, Changmin let out a small moan himself at the sound.

“That’s all you baby, fuck you’re so good. Feel so good on my cock.” Sunwoo whined even louder and it made something inside Changmin snap. 

The older boy grabbed Sunwoo’s hips, forcing him to stop as he lifted one leg onto the edge of the bed. It made Sunwoo jolt forward slightly, pushing his chest further into the bed and angling his ass higher for Changmin to fuck into. Changmin took a steady hold of Sunwoo and began to pound into him relentlessly. 

Their moans mixed, Sunwoo absolutely losing himself at the force as his ass met Changmin’s hips. Over and over again hitting the same beautiful spot inside his ass that pushed his orgasm to the edge and Sunwoo was clambering for it as he began to see stars.

Changmin placed his weight over Sunwoo, forcing the boy further into the sheets as his moans became tangled and muffled in the material. Changmin’s lips finding Sunwoo’s shoulder, biting heavily into the skin and leaving his mark once again. Sunwoo cried out in sheer bliss, hips rutting against the sheets to gain friction on his untouched dick as Changmin marked him mercilessly as he thrusted into his ass.

Sunwoo didn’t even have time to tell Changmin he was going to come, spilling all over the bed in a powerful orgasm which literally made him shake and tense up completely. The feeling around Changmin’s dick deep inside Sunwoo’s ass had the older boy cursing into the other’s ear, moving to nip at his lobe which somehow pushed Sunwoo even more over his edge and sent him spiraling into darkness as he closed his eyes so tightly that he almost passed out.

He was spent. Changmin using his body to catch his own orgasm, heavily fucking into him as he grunted and cursed under his breath, just seconds before cumming he pulled out, allowing it to drip between Sunwoo’s legs and the filthy feeling made Sunwoo shudder and shake once again.

“Fuck.” Changmin groaned, collapsing to Sunwoo’s side heavily as tiredness set in on his body quickly. Sunwoo lay there spent, his own cum sticking to his stomach as it dried into the sheets, feeling Changmin’s leak from his ass between his thighs. Something about being claimed so forcefully had Sunwoo smiling dozily to himself as finally Changmin worked up enough strength to clean him off before he fell asleep.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first 6 chapters are up! I'll be posting weekly until this is completed from now on! <3 
> 
> once again, if you wish to keep up to date with what I'm writing or working on (or just in general) you can follow me on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/connahquay) or you can leave a cc message [here](https://curiouscat.qa/connahquay)
> 
> thank you for reading, let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

The next night came and the same routine was instilled. Changmin going down to the casino first to scout out the best table, Sunwoo joining him and taking a place at said table. They had only been working together for a few days but already Sunwoo’s yield was far beyond what he could’ve earned on his own. Changmin was spectacular; his sense for picking up on nominal social cues to tell if somebody was lying or not. The way he could read people like an open book. Considering the entire poker industry relied on avoiding just that, it quickly turned into Sunwoo’s biggest defense. 

It made him more brave. Usually with low value cards he judged his outs to be less than 5% before the first flop; an instant fold any other time because it was simply a waste of money to try and bluff time after time but whenever he was in doubt he simply looked over to Changmin for confirmation on his opponents. A flick of his wrist, a shot, a glance. Subtle details to Changmin’s body language which let Sunwoo know what to look out for as he completely played the table to his advantage.

Except today things felt a little different.

So many times when he glanced over to Changmin, he wasn’t looking. He was acting distracted or uninterested. His eyes barely on the table and instead looked everywhere else as Sunwoo tried to silently bear down on him to get him to pay attention but when he did it was almost like Sunwoo couldn’t read what he was saying. It frustrated Sunwoo to a certain extent, but then slowly the air around the table began to feel strange too.

His eyes flickered to Changmin, and his flickered to the dealer. In the split second Sunwoo glanced at them himself he realized what their problem was.

_ They were onto them. _

Changmin was trying to play it safe, it seemed. But Sunwoo was struggling, way too deep into a hand he shouldn’t be betting on with just a little too much money on the table. He kept his cool though, calling and checking until the final card was being revealed.

It was a loss, of course. He had to play it off and lose some money now and again in order not to rouse suspicion especially now of all times. 

As the dealer asked them to ante in once again Sunwoo didn’t waste a second before tossing his chips into the center of the table. His eyes met with the dealers… Something wasn’t sitting right with him right now and he was beginning to regret counting in already.

Nevertheless, the dealer passed him his cards. Sunwoo checking them ( _ Queen of Clubs and 9 of Hearts _ ) they were pretty good and Sunwoo finally felt like he could handle this round without the help of Changmin.

He looked up to drop Changmin the cue that he didn’t need his help this round, but as he saw Changmin’s figure slowly sinking into the background, something as heavy as stone sank in his stomach. There was almost fear in Changmin’s eyes as he retreated into the crowd until eventually Sunwoo lost sight of him. Before he even had a chance to react he felt a steady hand on his shoulder and suddenly the game was over for him.

“Sir, if you’d like to come with us.” An authoritative voice cut through him. Sunwoo’s chest tightened in anxiety, knowing that it wasn't an offer but a command to follow.

He was led away. Down towards the side of the casino where no doubt the security room and offices lay behind the door they were approaching. Sunwoo knew this routine a little too well, having gotten caught many times in the past counting cards. His experience varied. From being roughly thrown out onto the street with no room to argue or explain himself, to being stripped of his cash and beaten up in the security room itself.

His mind was already racing with ways to get out of this as they led him down the thin passageway, the soundproof walls drowning out the sirens of the slot machines and the chatter of the casino guests. Albeit physically getting out of it wasn’t going to be a possibility with two bulky security guards at either side of his shoulders. If they hadn’t seen Changmin helping him then maybe he could get away more lightly… 

_ Changmin. _ Suddenly that name had his blood boiling. All of this talk about being a team and he just slunk away like a dog with its tail between its legs?  _ Laughable! _ Sunwoo knew he shouldn’t have trusted him. He was probably waiting for another chance to sneak away with his money in the dead of night again. That rat bastard, if Sunwoo made it out of here he was going to track that motherfucker down and-

_ CLANG. _

A loud, metallic noise. The security guard to his right collapsing. Sunwoo had no idea what was going on but as the guy to his left grappled at his shoulder Sunwoo took a chance to improve his odds at escaping and gave him a right hook over his shoulder and connected with the side of his face.

Only then could Sunwoo see what had just happened for himself.

“What the fuck was that?” He inhaled deeply in surprise. Seeing Changmin stood a few feet behind him with wide eyes. A bright red fire extinguisher in his possession, slightly shaking as the boy heaved heavily, exhausted from the weight of it. Sunwoo didn’t know what he was more surprised at; seeing Changmin in general after what just happened or knowing that he just knocked a security guard out with that thing.

“What?” Changmin spat, sounding just as surprised at himself as Sunwoo was. “I don’t have any muscle, I had to think of something else to hit him with.” Changmin finally dropped the heavy extinguisher, the metal container making a heavy bang against the cement floor lightly layers with ugly gray carpet.

Sunwoo felt the adrenaline in his blood pumping to his heart and brain, making his instincts kick in as he grabbed Changmin’s hand and they ran for the exit.

There was no time to think, no time to plan because they knew somebody else would catch them on the security cameras and come looking for them. They dived back into the mesh of people on the casino floor, weaving between them as they tried to head for the exit.

“Wait, my briefcase.” Sunwoo hissed, pulling Changmin imperatively closer to make sure he could hear it. Changmin bumped into his side a little, bright eyes meeting Sunwoo’s as wheels began to turn behind them. His trusty briefcase, the place he stashed every note he ever earned inside these damn places. The same one Changmin tried to steal from him the first night they met.

“Go get the car ready, I’ll grab the briefcase.” Changmin went to pull away from Sunwoo and head back to the hotel room but Sunwoo’s hand turned into a vice around his wrist.

He glances down to it, and then back up to Sunwoo’s expression. It’s cold and hard, still full of the animosity from mere moments ago when he thought Changmin had abandoned him. And in stark contrast to the mood Changmin laughed at him.

“What’s the matter? Still don’t trust me?” The tightening grip around his thin wrist answers that question for him.

Changmin leaned back to him, pressing his lips against Sunwoo’s in some vain attempt to win his freedom. And Sunwoo being the vain person he is, fell for it. Changmin’s hand slipped free, pulling his lips back just enough to break the kiss but still remain close enough for only Sunwoo to hear him.

“Go get the car. If I’m not there in five minutes you can report me to the staff. Say everything was my idea. They’ll have me on security footage somewhere, and you can just start over again. Honestly that doesn’t sound like a bad deal for you right now.” He practically mumbled all of his words together but Sunwoo caught every one of them. He gulped deeply, feeling the air get stuck in his chest as Changmin took his silence as compliance and he turned to head off towards the hotel lobby.

Just seconds before he was out of reach, Sunwoo grabbed his arm again and pulled him back with a quick jerk.

“Five minutes.”

* * *

He must’ve been crazy to let him go like that. Sunwoo was practically rattling in his car, counting down the minutes. What a fucking idiot he was, just letting Changmin practically walk away with all of his money again. He gave him open access, an easy exit. Sunwoo tapped his thumb impatiently against the steering wheel as he kept glancing towards the exit.

This wasn’t going to work. If Changmin was even to return, what if he was intercepted by staff again? If there was one thing worse than Changmin having his money it was the house taking it back from him. Sunwoo’s gut wrenched at that thought, making him feel sick.

He cussed himself out in his head once again, this entire thing wasn’t worth the risk. It would’ve just been easier to take the fall even if it meant getting badly beaten but at least at the end of it he could’ve left with his money intact. Sunwoo, for a guy who spent a long time learning how to calculate risks and odds was certainly throwing too much caution into the wind and it was all because of that brown haired boy who was just too addictive to break away from.

He began to think deeper. What if he did have to report Changmin to security? They would never believe him. They wouldn’t search the tapes just because  _ Sunwoo said so, _ fuck Changmin played this whole thing so well Sunwoo felt his blood begin to boil once more as he was so close at just getting out of the car and going to find that bastard himself again.

Then the back door of his car opened up and Changmin languidly threw himself into the back of it.

“Step on it.” He huffed. Sunwoo not needing another word from him to begin driving. Kicking his car into gear he drove without direction, just hoping to get to the furthest possible place where nobody would find them.  _ Definitely  _ not straight to another casino just yet.

Sunwoo couldn’t help but stare at Changmin via the rearview window. Watching the boy more than he was watching the road as Changmin opened the briefcase and began to count the money.

He did it out loud, he did it so Sunwoo could hear the honesty in his voice as he flicked through the bills to let him know he didn’t touch a single one of them for himself.

It was supposed to be comforting but anxiety still raced in Sunwoo’s body as he tried to calm down.

When he finished counting he locked the briefcase once more. The two small clips to either side safely latching it closed as Changmin moved to push it under Sunwoo’s chair, where he knew it belonged. Once his hands were free to do as they pleased they quickly came around the driver’s seat Sunwoo was sitting in and caressed at his chest.

“See that?” Changmin’s voice was so smooth Sunwoo felt himself relaxing into the seat as hands made small circles against his shirt.

“Every last note accounted for.” Changmin scooted forward until he could latch his chin over the driver’s seat, edging closer to Sunwoo’s ear until the boy driving could feel his breath.

“Do you trust me now?”

Sunwoo couldn’t answer that verbally. It still felt like a game Changmin was playing, and Sunwoo didn’t like how good at it he was. Sunwoo huffed a laugh, shaking his head a little in disbelief that Changmin would dare to say such a thing despite being the reason Sunwoo got out of that place unscathed.

Changmin understood him though. Maybe a little too much.

Changmin pressed his lips against Sunwoo’s ear. The sensation made Sunwoo shiver as it knocked his equilibrium slightly and his shoulders clenched upward. This kiss was elongated, Changmin enjoying the feeling of Sunwoo’s hair as it brushed against his cheeks before pulling back just enough to whisper into his ear instead.

“You’re my ride or die.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i didn't update for a little while, i had some stuff and i got a little more busy with work!  
> this isn't beta'd yet again and it's also very late at night and i'm tired so if you see mistakes? no you didn't <3

Changmin complained too much. Too much about Sunwoo not deciding on their next location fast enough, about refusing to stop at the nearest diner for food because he was hungry.

_‘That’s exactly where they would be looking for us.’_

_‘You’re stupid if you think you’re their perogative once you leave those walls. Casinos don’t care what happens outside of their constituency.’_

Maybe Changmin did have a point after all.

But Sunwoo wanted to play it safe. He drove further towards the other side of the city, which in all honesty wasn’t that much of a change. This place was littered in the same type of people; those who had too much money to blow and those who blew money they didn’t have. One was never a few stops short of some kind of place to gamble, the city lights always made it feel like daylight even in the middle of a winter night. Sunwoo had spent months running rings around the edge of this city, and now thanks to Changmin he could be on the inside more than ever. Well maybe not anymore.

“This was _your_ fault anyway. If you would’ve been more low key about your observations.” Sunwoo spat at Changmin in the back seat. The boy lay his head against the window as he huffed out a laugh of disbelief at the accusation.

“ _My fault_? You practically couldn’t keep your eyes off of me in that place. No wonder they caught on to you, you’re a terrible liar, Sunwoo.”

“The entire game is based on-”

“Numbers, statistics, odds! You’re a terrible liar, let’s just leave it at that.” Changmin crossed his arms over his chest. Even if Sunwoo replied to him (which he didn’t) Changmin likely would not have answered. The two drove in silence for a few more minutes until Changmin had something else to say.

“We need new clothes.”

Sunwoo realized he was right. There was no time to grab the suitcases from the hotel room when they were trying to escape. One half of him wanted to curse Changmin for not thinking of that and at least trying to grab something as he ran out, but the other knew that the boy made the best call possible given the lack of time they had.

“Any suggestions?” Sunwoo offered. Which maybe would turn out to be a bad idea.

“Make a left up here, I know a place.”

* * *

Changmin’s taste was expensive. It didn’t surprise Sunwoo in the slightest, knowing that his line of work before now was literally being pampered by old people with too much money and time on their hands. But Sunwoo left a little out of his league. Changmin dragged him down the high street, into expensive boutiques and malls with high brand names plastered all over the signs. 

The boy was an enigma. He fucked like a hooker but had the brains of an artist. Noticing things that Sunwoo never even contemplated in his life, his ideas were just uncanny to say the least. How else would they have been working so flawlessly together up until now? 

Sunwoo needed them to get back into that groove before they were going to be good enough to earn any real money.

Changmin browsed the selections, passing various items of clothing on to Sunwoo who simply followed him behind. He had no idea what sort of imagery Changmin was going for, between all the bounds of leather pants and suede jackets. Flashy patterns silk shirts and bow ties. It was eccentric, something about it all screamed Changmin’s personality but Sunwoo liked his style a little more neat and straight forward than that.

Changmin led him into the changing rooms, pushing the younger boy into a stall as he waited on the outside, much to Sunwoo’s dismay. He stripped, pulling on the clothes that Changmin had promptly placed in his hands during their tour around the store so far. It was uncomfortable, a little tight. He looked into the mirror with a quirk of his eyebrow wondering why the hell anybody would wear zebra print silken shirts with leather pants. It seemed ridiculous.

“It looks like you’re rounding me up to join the circus.” He passively commented as he opened the curtain up for Changmin to see. Changmin didn’t flinch, picking up yet another long tailed jacket from the returned items rail as he browsed over it. 

“You have to look the part if we’re going to bed into those backrooms where the real money is.” Changmin replied under his breath. He thrusted the jacket back into the rail, totally ignoring Sunwoo who closed the curtain back over to change.

“They’ll know the difference from some conman who picked up an ill fitting suit from the second hand store to a big timer who shops on the avenue for fun, not just necessity.”

Sunwoo popped his head out of the curtain once more.

“Sounds like you’re speaking from first hand experience.”

Changmin looked over his shoulder, a smouldering grin growing and making Sunwoo’s throat run dry. It was a look that could have eaten him up alive if he let it, and god knows some part of him always wanted to be consumed by Changmin already. Changmin took a step closer, Sunwoo’s lungs in his chest restricting as Changmin’s eyes grew darker and unreadable. He looked him up and down as he peeked behind the curtain; eyes drinking him up. A bold shirt with tight black jeans… It was a look Changmin could pull off, but maybe not Sunwoo.

“Looks like I’m going to have to do a lot more leg work.” He muttered, pushing Sunwoo back inside the cubicle alone by pressing a firm hand against his head. Sunwoo wanted to pout like a scolded puppy but he didn’t have time as he put on the next shirt ready to show Changmin how it looked.

“Leg work?” Sunwoo fidgeted around as he changed his shirt.

“You think I’m letting you go into those rooms alone? No way.” The chuckle that came from behind the curtain made Sunwoo’s spine tingle. The change of Changmin’s tone spoke for how hungry he was. 

“I want to see the look on their faces when we wipe away their money from the table.”

“You know when you say ‘we’ you mean ‘me’.” Sunwoo opened the curtain up once more to allow Changmin to see the clothes. They fit better this time, a sheer black shirt complimented by a black jacket. Changmin’s hunger transgressed to him, digging into his skin, every nook and cranny he could find.

“I’m the one who works the tables.” Sunwoo’s voice stood firm, asking for the authority of this situation.

But Changmin was never going to give it to him. Changmin leered into him, body moving perpetually closer until even the curtain of the cubic wasn’t enough to make him feel covered. The flicker of Changmin’s eyes said it all; _I’ll devour you_ , given any time or place Sunwoo instinctively knew that it was true too. The corners of Changmin’s mouth curled up as his lips parted, his tongue running over his canines as Sunwoo found himself feeling smaller than ever.

“Yes but…” Changmin whispered, his voice dripping with a tinge of mania. 

“Who works you?”

The mood was broken the moment Changmin pulled the curtain back closed. Leaving Sunwoo to catch his breath as the other muttered a _‘let’s keep it’_ to the outfit he was wearing. Sunwoo quickly stripped it off and stuck it back on the hangers, ready to buy it.

They left the mall a couple of grand lighter and a few bags heavier than when they entered. Sunwoo was greedy, he hated spending his hard earned money, especially when he didn’t know when he could make it back. The beauty of casinos was the ability to constantly turn a profit if you judged it right. Living above his needs wasn’t always something he aimed for, but he definitely wanted to experience luxury like never before.

They drove for a while, again, mostly in silence. Until eventually Sunwoo piped up about where they could go next.

* * *

“I haven’t played here for a few months.” Sunwoo informed the other out loud. Changmin probably didn’t care, he was in the middle of checking his outfit out in the mirror as Sunwoo threw a black suede jacket that they had bought before over his broad shoulders.

“Once they were getting suspicious of me I hightailed it out of there, but I always remembered this door people would pass through to get to the back rooms. I think they had a list. So I know it’s a possibility we can get in here.”

Changmin hummed as if he was listening intently, but Sunwoo could never be so sure what was running through his mind from one moment to the next. He pulled the jacket taut over his chest to straight it out before walking over to stare at Changmin through the mirror.

“I figured we could try our luck here before we hit somewhere bigger?” He hoped to appease to the more fanatic side of Changmin… Offering up a small course before the main meal.

It seemed to work. Changmin smiled back in the reflection of the mirror at Sunwoo, lips curving devilishly in the corners as he arched a single eyebrow. He turned around, letting his hands smooth over the material of Sunwoo’s jacket as he ran down to his hips.

“Let’s go then.”

This casino was smaller than the last one they played at. The lights were duller, the tables were smaller, but Sunwoo didn’t want to risk getting caught again at another big place. Bigger meant more risks, and what they were doing was already risky enough. They entered, Sunwoo keeping Changmin near his side as he pretended not to instantly know his way around. Looking too eager was another bad sign and it helped that Changmin looked bright eyed and bushy tailed, leering at the lights and spectacles going on around them.

“So just stay by my side, if we’re together at the table they’ll let us into the backroom together.” Sunwoo half whispered under his breath, careful not to lose how his voice would carry in the blaring sounds bouncing off the walls around them. 

Changmin didn’t even look like he was listening, his eyes truly darting from left to right, mindless in their pattern as he looked around at anything and everything except Sunwoo. It prompted the younger boy to shake his arm a little.

“Changmin-”

“Yeah, no.” Changmin sighed with too much playfulness in his voice for Sunwoo not to be alarmed at. Changmin began to pull away, ready to flitter between the bodies of people around them but Sunwoo’s grip on his sleeve tugged him back to him. He stare was speaking for itself; _what the fuck are you doing_ but still he chose to voice it out loud for extra effect.

“What the fuck are you doing? We’re supposed to be a team.” He hissed. Changmin bounced up and down slightly like a whiny child who had just been told no to his favorite snack while at the store.

“I just want to have a little _fun_ first.” He fake cried. Sunwoo couldn’t help the roll of his eyes at the tone.

“Please? Please?” Changmin’s voice was low with just enough hint of sultry in it to make Sunwoo want to cave. Something about it quelled the uneasy feeling in his stomach but also lit it on fire. Something telling him that if he let Changmin have his fun now he would be rewarded later… And Sunwoo could definitely handle a few rounds of poker without him for the time being.

The grip on Changmin’s sleeve grew loose until his fingers dropped from the hem and fell back to his side. Changmin smiled widely, the dimple in his cheek cursing Sunwoo with more than he knew he had bargained for as the older boy skipped off somewhere into the midst of bodies meshing together behind the scenes. Sunwoo threaded a hand through his hair and turned away on his own.

A few rounds in Sunwoo was feeling confident. He was back in his groove, back counting on himself and only himself to get through these games and so far his judgements were perfectly on point and every hand showed that. Folding when it was necessary, taking the correct risks at the right time. He was killing it, if he would say so himself. So much so that he almost totally forgot that somewhere in the background Changmin was wandering around, trying to find a way to get up to no good.

“Check.” Sunwoo said, laying a hand back over his cards as the round skipped him. His current cards _Five of Hearts and Seven of Clubs._ With a Six of Clubs and Nine of Spades already on the table Sunwoo was trying not to get too ahead of himself. He had already done well, drawing people in by allowing them to think he is inexperienced due to his age. Men and women sat by either of his sides practically tutted whenever he chose to raise a call or bet, thinking they had no idea what he was ‘ _letting himself in for_ ’ but little did they know he was the one in charge here.

33% with five left on the table. His odds were the best for sure as they awaited the turn of the next card. He was already planning on raising the bet. He was three steps ahead of everyone else, with the goal in his vision as he kept his eyes slightly back from the draw in order not to give his eagerness away.

So close… His heart was beating a little faster…

**_DINGDINGDINGDINGDING_ **

What disgustingly loud noise was disrupting his game? 

The atmosphere surrounding him suddenly changed, the panic seeping into his chest even if he didn’t want it to. Something brash about the sound of the alarm ringing over the slot machines had Sunwoo thinking the worst was happening and it was confirmed the moment he heard someone start shouting;

_ Fire! Fire! Everyone get out! _

Sunwoo’s eyes widened. Changmin. He had to find Changmin. 

He almost forgot about the poker chips on the table (almost). He scooped them up, pushing them into a little plastic container to carry them closely to his body as he began to work against the hustling crowd of people trying to head for the emergency exits.

The chaos was overwhelming, people tripping around each other in a greedy effort to get out of there first. There was no smoke, no heat emanating from anywhere to signal the signs of a fire but with everyone stampeding around him Sunwoo found himself being knocked around from side to side.

_ Changmin. I have to find Changmin. _

Knocking his elbows against the bodies of others in an attempt to swim upstream which utterly was beginning to feel futile and hopeless. He had no idea why he was so worked up over the idea of Changmin getting caught up in something like this. What if something happened to him? What if  _ he _ was the one who triggered the alarm?

What if this was all some stunt from somebody onto them, fuck he never should’ve trusted Changmin when he said casino’s don’t care outside of their constituency. 

He fought against the crowd, searching over their heads and between their bodies in an attempt to find that familiar face, hairstyle, clothing- literally anything that resembled Changmin just to know he was safe. It almost felt like he was drowning, the sea of voices around him crashing into his eardrums and making him feel dizzy. Keeping his head above the water for as long as he could-

“Sir- come you come this way, sir.” A casino worker took Sunwoo by the shoulder in an attempt to turn him towards the sweeping crowd.

“I just need to-” Sunwoo began to protest, his eyes still searching beyond their means to try and see Changmin somewhere in the middle of this mess. The grip on his shoulder turned tighter, and Sunwoo retaliated with a hand raising to pull it away but in that split second another force on the opposite shoulder gripped him with a little more tightness and authority and he instantly knew what that meant.

Bow down, be silenced. 

He was led outside towards the emergency evacuation area, with no Changmin in sight at all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ !!!!  
> I re-edited the ending of chapter 8 because I didn't like how I did it. so PLEASE reread that chapter before this one, so you don't get confused, thank you <3

He spent an hour outside in the cold evening air before they deemed it to be a false alarm. Somebody had simply pulled the fire alarm inside the casino and Sunwoo still hadn’t seen Changmin; by this point he had begun to fear the worst.

He was hurt, or even worse, this was a stunt to run off with all of Sunwoo’s money. Sunwoo’s mind always ran back to that. How the fuck couldn’t it when after the first night they spent together Changmin tried to run off with his money then? He couldn’t trust this boy, no matter how much he told him to do it. Even though right now he was becoming more and more worried with no sign of Changmin around.

Standing in the fucking cold was becoming unbearable as his anxiety worsened. He should’ve split the money up. He should’ve hidden some of it. Fuck, he should’ve even banked some of it because Sunwoo hated leaving an electronic trail but if there was probably one thing he hated more was leaving no trail at all. Changmin had probably been planning this all along. It all seemed too perfectly timed.

The moment clearance was given to head back inside the building Sunwoo stormed to the hotel room to check what the damage was.

But the room was just as clean as they had left it. He saw his briefcase intact on the side where he had left it. The clothes were still hanging up in the closet. The bed wasn’t even creased an inch more than it had been a few hours ago. And suddenly his bubbling anger quickly turned to dread again.  _ What if he tried to do something and they caught him?  _

Surely if this was part of some scheme he was planning he would’ve made it out by now?

Fuck, he was an idiot. Changmin as well as Sunwoo. He told Changmin to stick together, they could both work their way up as a team but of course he got too impatient. Now he was probably trapped by security and Sunwoo didn’t want to fathom what he would look like after it.

The reality of Changmin was beginning to set in. Sure, he was a wild card, all over the place, temperamental at times. But ever since he was reprimanded the first time Sunwoo actually couldn’t fault him. Now he was starting to feel guilty. Did Changmin risk himself for Sunwoo’s gain? Was it Sunwoo’s fault he wasn’t here right now? Honestly, maybe he would’ve preferred coming back to a ransacked room because having an uncertain answer was starting to drive him crazy. 

Thankfully his spiral of despair only lasted a few minutes. The hotel door clicked open and for a second Sunwoo’s fight or flight response kicked in and he was ready to take on whatever monster was coming through the door at him. But the moment he laid eyes on Changmin’s face the concern melted away as he approached him.

“Where the fuck were you? I was so worried.” Sunwoo paused only a foot away from Changmin who stared back almost blankly. It’s almost as if he didn’t recognize the danger he could’ve been in, or rather the danger Sunwoo had put him through in his mind.

“Sneaking into the back rooms.” Changmin shrugged, the fact that he even uttered such a sentence so easily almost had Sunwoo spiralling back to the angry place he was in just moments before. Changmin almost too calmly walked past Sunwoo and headed towards the closet while removing his jacket.

“What?” Sunwoo spat, turning on his heels to follow him.

“You said we would do that together, Changmin. You said that we were a team!”

“We are!” Changmin’s voice was still too light and airy for him to be taking this seriously. Sunwoo traipsed up behind him once again. He placed a hand on Changmin’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Then what the fuck are you doing putting yourself in danger alone?” Changmin practically sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly unable to see Sunwoo’s true worry was about him and not the situation. 

“I just didn’t want to sit around and watch you play cards for months in hopes that we get an invitation when I could just walk up there and put our names on the list.” 

“You- wait, what?” Sunwoo was caught off guard. He was ready to go further into how irresponsible Changmin’s actions were and how he was about to never let him out of his sight from now on until Changmin’s words fully sunk into him.

Changmin turned to face him, still cool, remaining unbothered by all the pent up worry Sunwoo was expressing as the corners of his lips twitching into a mischievous smile. There was something always so mildly unnerving about how calm Changmin could appear, even when Sunwoo’s grip was tightly growing on his shoulder and eyes burrowing into him. Even when he, for a less dramatic term, helped Sunwoo escape the guards in the last casino by knocking one of them out. It was oddly captivating and nerve rattling at the same time.

“Yeah I scoped out the guard at the door. I thought they might have had some super high tech system for recording their clients… Turns out they just write the names on a clipboard.”

Sunwoo stared in astonishment, remaining quiet. Everything Changmin seemed to do was meticulously cultivated to work out in his favor. 

“So I just- pulled the fire alarm and while everyone was filtering out I snuck into the back and put our names on it.”

Now it all made sense. Why he didn’t see Changmin during the chaos, why he wasn’t outside with the rest of them. He wasn’t in danger, he was putting the team first yet again. He was safe all this time, he wasn’t stealing from Sunwoo or being kidnapped. Sunwoo.... Sunwoo needed to learn how to trust him more. As all the previous thoughts inside Sunwoo’s head quelled into silence he simply couldn’t think of anything else to say but;

“You pulled the alarm?” 

His hand on Changmin’s shoulder slid up his neck, fingers lingering on the underside of his jaw before curling around the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. It was slow, soft, almost reassuring as Sunwoo allowed the last of his worries about Changmin to melt away as he felt the other’s hands coming to rest on his chest.

“You’re a genius for that.” He said with parted lips.

Changmin’s smirk peeked through again.

“Ride or die, remember?”

* * *

The next night came and they were back together as a team. Dressed up to the nines, ready to go to the back rooms. But there was just one problem.

“What are you so nervous for? I can practically smell it on you.” Changmin commented under his breath. 

His arm was linked through Sunwoo’s as he guided him through the casino. A nice piece of arm candy was always welcomed at the back rooms, and Changmin made sure he fitted the part perfectly. His hair was pushed back and sleek, a tight fitting suit gracing his body with perfect posture. The same couldn’t be said for Sunwoo who was half slouched over with uneasy eyes catching everybody who they walked past.

“What, no I’m not-” He began to argue, but then Changmin stood still which prevented Sunwoo from continuing to go forward.

He looked at him, stern with piercing eyes. Sunwoo couldn’t help but crumble at his feet again.

“What if it doesn’t work?” He referred to Changmin’s plan.

“Come on, Sunwoo. This is a casino, not a bank.” Changmin tutted at him, but that didn’t exactly instil confidence in the other.

“All you have to do is walk in there like you belong there.” 

“And win?” Sunwoo raised an eyebrow, almost in disbelief at Changmin missing the key part out. Changmin huffed out a laugh.

“I don’t doubt you will, not when we make such a great team.” Changmin’s hand slid further down Sunwoo’s arm, caressing him slightly in a further attempt to calm him. Sunwoo stared back at him.

He was so calm, but he wasn’t the one sitting at the table earning the cash. Making himself feel like he was pulling all of the weight at the table was the only thing keeping Sunwoo from completely bowing down to Changmin, but every time Changmin reminded him that they were a team he felt himself stutter. Staring at Changmin who seemingly held all the answers while he let Sunwoo swim in deep water. Sunwoo had no other option than to cling onto him. He hated feeling like the second lead.

Changmin’s hand laced with Sunwoo’s, tentatively pulling him forward towards the room until it was too late for Sunwoo to realize it was happening.

The moment Changmin knocked on the door his attitude changed. He became clingy, holding onto Sunwoo with both arms around his own, giggling like a schoolgirl. Sunwoo’s eyes widened.  _ So this is the part he plays when warming up to those rich, old people. _ Was what he thought of.

“Hi, we’re here for the competition.” Changmin gleamed through a disgustingly naive smile. He was too good at this; acting like newlyweds on a honeymoon in the big city of lights with too much money to waste. Sunwoo did his best to not stumble or trip as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

The guard on the door glared. Nothing friendly or welcoming, it was exactly what Sunwoo had expected and what he was used to, but with Changmin acting up like this he couldn’t help but think the guard could see right through them.

He coughed, checking his list before looking back up at the unfamiliar faces. Changmin practically swung from Sunwoo’s arm as they awaited judgement.

“Name?”

“Kim Sunwoo.” He cleared his throat as he said it. The guard checked the list with a glance.

“Guest?”

“Changmin.” Changmin jumped at the chance to talk.

As the guard opened the door to let them both in, Sunwoo began to think. He began to think of how many little characters Changmin had stored in his head that he brought out to play whenever the situation arose for them to do so. Surely it was part of his bag of tricks; mixing and matching to suit the needs of the occasion and whoever he was around. He tried not to think too deeply about that. After all, if Changmin wanted his money he would’ve ran away with it by now instead of clinging around his arm like they were in love or something.

Changmin was too excited. Babbling away about how pretty the casino was and how friendly all the staff were. He played the game so well, even making Sunwoo relax as they finally walked into the room.

It was a poker table just like any other, green mat, lined with the instructions for playing. The eyes of several already seated players greeted them harshly as they entered the door, the guard standing close to the seat which was apparently Sunwoo’s to take.

He felt nervous. 

This was bigger money, more than he had ever played for before, and with players who certainly had more experience counting outs than Sunwoo had with his measly one year in the sticks. He tried not to gulp too obviously, but Changmin at his side caught it.

“Sunwoo.” Changmin muttered under his breath. Sunwoo was busy trying to put his ‘game face’ on as he locked eyes with each other player individually.

“Sunwoo.”

Sunwoo finally glanced at him.

“You’ve got this, okay?” Changmin’s voice verging on the edge of sweet but professional made him feel the faux confidence he was trying to instil in himself. He pressed his lips together to form a thin line as he took a deep breath in.

He stepped forward, ready to take his seat, but in that second Changmin’s hand pulled him back to him once more.

“Oh and Sunwoo.” He leaned in close to his ear. Lips brushing Sunwoo’s lobe and breath catching his hair.

“If you win, I’ll let you do anything…  _ anything _ .” 

The way he repeated the final word with a certain nuance had Sunwoo’s stomach twisting in anticipation. His fake smile was replaced with a real smirk, eyes becoming more focused as now he had something much more exciting than money to play for.

Control over Changmin.

He looked back to the table with renewed vigor. Eyes taking in the details of all the faces now focusing on counting their chips and waiting for the next round. His mind was racing with ideas before the game had even begun.

“We might need to make a pit stop first.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay in updates, I hit a bit of a writers block with this story, even though I know exactly where I want it to go I just couldn't _do_ if you know what i mean.
> 
> Anyway, we're back <3 i hope u enjoy this!

Somewhere between coming first at the table and running to a certain store after it made Sunwoo feel insane. Ten thousand in cash lay heavy in his bag the entire time as Changmin returned to the room to  _ prepare _ for the night, while in the meantime all Sunwoo could do was think how he was going to ruin him later on. When he returned to the room with a bag of supplies alongside his trusted briefcase he no longer could tell which weighted bag made him feel more excited.

“You said anything, right?” Sunwoo reconfirmed with a glance over to Changmin. The boy behind him had just gotten out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist as Sunwoo emptied a bag onto the bed. Changmin quickly came to inspect what he had bought, slouching over Sunwoo’s shoulder as his arms came around his waist, wet hair dangling on the edge of Sunwoo’s cheek.

“Anything.” He repeated into the cove of Sunwoo’s ear. It made the boy shiver, fingers moving to grasp for a pair of handcuffs he had bought. They were red leather, soft and pliable yet impossible to break free from. Exactly what Sunwoo wanted to instil over Changmin as the mood of the night.

Changmin tilted his head, eyes following Sunwoo for a moment before looking back down to the bed. Maybe Sunwoo had gone a little overboard.

A six inch glass dildo, a cock ring, an eight inch curved vibrator, a slapper, a pretty silver buttplug with a red diamond on the end. Random sample packets of flavored lube had also been emptied from the bag, laying sporadically across the sheets as Changmin’s hands turned Sunwoo towards him.

“You want me to use all this on you?” He cooed and Sunwoo looked at him with wide eyes.

“What, no?” He answered in disbelief. Changmin said  _ he _ could do  _ anything _ . “I want to use them on you.” Changmin huffed a laugh at his response.

“You’re silly.” Changmin replied, those words sounding far too innocent than his tone indicated them to be. Changmin pushed Sunwoo onto the bed, towel falling from his hips as he did so, and Sunwoo sat up on the edge, almost having to scramble to keep himself seated as Changmin crawled onto his lap and made himself comfortable.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with these.” The underwhelmed tone of his voice alongside the degrading sentence made Sunwoo feel like his blood was beginning to boil. He realized he was still holding the handcuffs, he could still tie Changmin up and show him just how wrong he was-

“I could learn.” He pretended to play dumb as he pulled Changmin in by his waist, arms coaxing him closer until Sunwoo came to rest on the small of his back, with his plan in mind.

“The best way to learn is to experience it yourself.” Changmin soothed into his ear, his hands running down Sunwoo’s toned shoulders, his forearms before eventually reaching the hands which were behind his back and their fingers mingled together. He was almost making this too easy. All Sunwoo had to do was grab his hands and-

“Or I could just tie you up now, make it up as I go along.” Sunwoo played along, Changmin’s lips moving to hang precariously close to his own, Sunwoo smirking in near victory.

“Maybe.” Sunwoo felt the heat of Changmin’s fingers against his palms. He was a sitting target.

Then suddenly the ice cold metal of the cuffs were against his skin.

“Or maybe not.” 

In a swift movement Changmin had turned the tables. His fingers cunningly prying the handcuffs from Sunwoo’s loose hands as he worked behind his back to lock them around Sunwoo’s wrists, and before he even had a chance to react to it Changmin slipped down out of Sunwoo’s lap until he was kneeling on the floor, his head cradled by Sunwoo’s thighs.

“Don’t worry though, I’ll still let you have all the fun.” Changmin winked.

The younger boy was stunned into silence, hands frozen together, bound by leather clad metal which burned slightly against his hot skin. Changmin stood up and laced his fingers over the rim of Sunwoo’s money stuffed briefcase. He had a bad feeling about this for a split second until Changmin opened it and poured the money onto the bed, shaking the case a little to allow the notes to scatter messily across the sheets. Sunwoo huffed a laugh through his quelling anger.

“You didn’t have to tie me up for that.” He wants to roll his eyes but also couldn’t take them off of Changmin for a second. The boy dropped the briefcase to the ground before coming back over to Sunwoo, a single finger tracing over the material of his shirt on his chest.

“You, me, and that briefcase have some bad history I’d rather not revisit when you’re like this.” He connected their lips again, Sunwoo hungrily meeting him as he attempted to raise his cuffed hands to attempt to clamber onto something to keep an inch of his sanity. 

Changmin easily pushed him back, Sunwoo’s still cladded back making the paper notes below him rustle as he attempted to sit up, only to be quashed by Changmin who climbed over him, knees either side of his hips, hardening dick scratching against the roughness of Sunwoo’s jeans. Changmin’s hands ran beneath the other’s shirt, pushing the material up along the way until his fingertips graced Sunwoo’s nipples and toyed with them slightly.

He leaned in, lips encasing one to allow his tongue to swirl over it. Sunwoo simply watched him over the crumpled material of his shirt.

“How much do you care for this shirt?” Changmin mumbled, his lips pressed against Sunwoo’s chest as he glided over towards the other nipple. Sunwoo was caught off guard by such a strange question.

“I just bought it a few days ago-”

Before he had the chance to finish Changmin was sitting up, hands curling around the material to pull apart the buttons from their stitching until it fell to either side of Sunwoo’s now exposed torso. He couldn’t help the small moan leaving his chest as Changmin’s hands now ran freely over him; owning him, making him too easily pliable between his fingers. They ran down to his jeans, unbuckling, unbuttoning, and unzipping them until the material was dragged down his thighs and over his feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Sunwoo half expected the other to kiss his way back up but as the sensation of lips was lost against his skin he looked down to see what was taking him so long.

“What should we start first with, hm?” Changmin mused to himself mostly, eyes not wasting a glance at Sunwoo as he looked over the collection that had been supplied to him. His fingers danced over the supply, feathering touches as he figured out where to start. Sunwoo remained on his back in anticipation; the night not rolling out exactly as he intended it. He finally attempted to sit back up at some vain attempt to keep control but once again Changmin beat him to it.

“Just sit back, enjoy it.” 

Sunwoo growled in impatience.

“I’d enjoy you more in a different way right now.” 

Changmin bubbled out a laugh, half sounding pitiful which for some reason made Sunwoo’s stomach churn and twist. Changmin ripped open a packet which was laying on the bed and poured the gel over Sunwoo’s dick.

“Fuck-” He couldn’t help but let out a hiss at the coldness dipping down his embarrassingly half erected dick. Changmin pursed his lips in response to it and made sure to empty the packet completely.

“You’re so cute when you think you know what you want.” His hand joined the slickness, gripping just tight enough to restrict some of the blood flow as he began to work over his cock, Sunwoo couldn’t maintain the arch of himself sitting half up and allowed himself to fall back onto the sheets. 

He quickly hardened, Changmin’s thumb teasing his slit, now only working the top of his dick teasingly, running down his shaft once or twice before coming back to his head. Sunwoo tried to stifle his moans, not wanting to cave into just a fucking handjob but then the tightness grew and he looked down to see Changmin slip the cock ring over his dick.

“Heightens the pleasure, you know.” Changmin spoke almost methodologically, rolling the silicone ring down his shaft until it rested at the base. Sunwoo’s bottom lip was between his teeth as the restricted blood flow made him buck his hips up slightly. Changmin  _ adored _ it.

“Oh baby, you’re gonna have much more fun than you imagined.” 

Just a handjob, a simple fucking handjob had Sunwoo whining like an injured dog as Changmin continued to work over him, stroking him to fullness as he cooed at how red and dark his dick was growing. Sunwoo couldn’t contain himself, hips pushing up to meet the movements of his hand, it was difficult to do with his legs still hanging off the end of the bed, and especially as Changmin returned his attention to toying only with his head once more, slicking the precum down to pool at the base.

“Fuck, feels so good.” He moaned quietly, legs clambering for steadiness as Changmin sunk down onto his knees.

“Look so pretty lying on all those notes, king.” The usual nickname slipped out. Sunwoo whined at the feeling which came along with it. Changmin kissed at the inside of his thighs, soft and gentle but it had Sunwoo tensing as he knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. And surely enough teeth came into play 

“Ah, fuck.” Sunwoo groaned, trying to push his thighs together but he simply met Changmin’s teeth once more which forced him to retract away. The pretty marks inside of his legs mounted up as Changmin moved over to start laying his claim to the other side. His hand still working over Sunwoo, making him feel like he was already ready to burst, biting down on his bottom lip harshly to hold it in.

“ _ Please- _ ” He muttered out desperately.

“Already?” Changmin teased, pulling his lips away with a gentle kiss before hooking his chin over one of Sunwoo’s thighs. The younger looked down, almost instantly regretting it as he saw Changmin looked back up to him as if he was a meal that Changmin was playing with. The look sent his mind into an abyss.

Changmin’s hand stopped, a moment of relief as Sunwoo collected his thoughts but it meant only one thing. Changmin leaned over his thigh, grabbing the plug and another packet of lube before situating himself back between Sunwoo’s legs.

“You’re gonna be so good for me.” Changmin cooed, ripping the packet open with his mouth in such a way Sunwoo found himself holding his breath at it. 

“Am I?” He tried to tease back but his breathlessness betrayed him as Changmin cocked an eyebrow up to him. 

He let the gel run over his fingers, using the rest to coat the plug as he dropped the now empty packet to the ground and began to kiss his thighs once again.

“You won’t have a choice.” 

He pushed a single finger into Sunwoo, not messing around as he went all the way in and made Sunwoo groan from his chest at the intrusion. He rolled his head back, Changmin quickly moving inside of him, curling up just enough to send small ripples of pleasure into his stomach with every thrust.

He was quickly losing himself, his rock hard cock weeping as Changmin pushed a second finger into him; fuck it was so difficult to keep himself under control right now he was practically handing himself to Changmin like that. His hips rocked against the others fingers as much as they could, quiet moans leaving his lips as he closed his eyes in bliss.

Before he could protest, or even realize what was going on, Changmin slipped his fingers out. His hand coming to push Sunwoo’s dick against his stomach, running a hand up as far as it could go, his other hand pushed the plug into Sunwoo’s ass making his toes curl as he gasped at the size difference. 

“Oh my god.” Sunwoo cried, Changmin tapped the pretty little jewel now hanging out of him a few times for good measure, kissing his way up to Sunwoo’s abdomen as he did so.

“Keep that in for me, good boy.” He instructed, a tinge of something sinister in his words had Sunwoo arching his back to sit up. Changmin quickly climbed onto his lap, straddling him and pressing him back down into the money littered sheets and entwining their fingers together to bring Sunwoo’s shackled wrists over his head.

“I’d love to ruin you, to make you scream and cry until you can’t utter anything anymore.” Changmin growled into him as he buried his head into the crevice of Sunwoo’s neck. The boy below whined, the hot breath against his air making every hair on his body stand on edge as he pushed his hips up to meet Changmin above him, the movement making his ass tighten around the plug which had him hissing at the sensation. Changmin’s tongue lapped against his neck as he began to grind on him. 

“Make you beg for you to come? You’d like that?” He muttered brokenly, trusting Sunwoo to keep his hands above his head he pushed himself back to sit up on top of Sunwoo and allowed his hands to roam back down to his waist.

“Just let me fuck you, I’d like that more.” Sunwoo gritted through his teeth, pushing his hips up into Changmin as if to make his point. 

“Soon, maybe.” Changmin hummed, pushing himself back just far enough to be able to take hold of Sunwoo’s dick underneath him, slicking his fingers up and down his length as he sat back and enjoyed as Sunwoo began to curse and writhe beneath him. Changmin was having far too much fun with this.

He rolled his hips too, letting his dick press on the outside of his fingers as he slid over Sunwoo’s cock. Groaning at the slight satisfaction he was gaining from the friction but slowly and surely he was becoming more greedy. Sunwoo could see that too.

“Just slide onto my cock, I know you want to.” He teased, Changmin puckered his lips into a smirk as he leaned back ever so slightly more. His free hand moved to locate the plug in Sunwoo’s ass, fingers teasing around it and Sunwoo’s heart rate increased tenfold in a matter of seconds as he felt the vibrations throughout his body as Changmin’s hand tightened on his dick too. It did enough to leave him speechless, Changmin grinning at the victory before he toyed with him a little more, tugging on the rim slightly before letting it out. Sunwoo let out a whimper and finally Changmin removed the plug from him and dropped it to the side.

“We have a couple more things to do before we get there though.” Changmin reached over again, this time choosing the glass dildo from the collection now assorted over the bed messily as Sunwoo writhed and clung to the sheets as best as he could. He moved blindly, reaching behind himself to press it against Sunwoo’s hole eventually finding it, assisted by Sunwoo spreading his legs and teetering his feet onto the edge of the bed.

“Oh, he’s  _ needy _ .” Changmin couldn’t help but laugh, Sunwoo feeling the heat hit his face as Changmin pushed the glass into him, the coldness making him almost shiver as Changmin steadied himself on the edge of Sunwoo’s lap. The angle made it tighter, Sunwoo groaning as Changmin blindly pushed the dildo in further inch by inch, slowly until he could barely grasp it in his fingers anymore.

“Does that feel good?” 

“So good.” Sunwoo instantly sighed out. His confined hands came back down to his body, resting against his abdomen as his fingers teased at the edge of his cock so desperate to touch himself.

“Ah-ah, not yet.” Changmin warned him, pausing before he began a slow and steady rhythm into Sunwoo’s ass as he watched him fall apart from above.

Sunwoo’s body was flushed, burning up from the intense stare Changmin was projecting onto him as he sped up just slightly, moving only his wrist and allowing the curved of the toy to do most of the work to make Sunwoo feel good. It was working. Sunwoo could barely open his eyes past the blissful feeling as his fingers curled up into the palms of his hands as he tried to focus on anything other than his throbbing cock which was only made worse by the tightness of the ring around it. Changmin shuddered out a moan as how ruined he looked already.

“Gonna fuck you so hard with these toys until your begging to stop.” He groaned himself, the words pushing Sunwoo dangerously close to his orgasm as he whined loudly. Changmin sped up the movement of his wrist.

“Gonna make you cum, again and again.” 

“Please- I’m c-close.” Sunwoo once again reached down for his dick, desperate to relieve the ache as Changmin fucked into him but with his more free hand he looped his thumb between the handcuff link and pulled them back. Sunwoo practically thrashing beneath him as Changmin pulled the toy out.

It was dizzying, he felt like screaming as he clenched around nothing and Changmin climbed off his lap. The total emptiness almost made tears form at the corner of his eyes until a vibrating noise knocked the breath out of him. He glanced up, seeing Changmin at the end of the bed holding the purple colored vibrator, he switched it off after testing the speeds once through before looking for another packet of lube to cover it with.

He couldn’t contain the elongated moan as Changmin pushed it into him, hands curling just short of his dick as he inhaled deeply as he took it deeper. Changmin waited a minute before turning it on, on the lowest setting which already sent every nerve in Sunwoo’s body into overdrive as he felt himself clench around it.

“No, no-” He cried, squirming as Changmin came to push his legs apart with a hand. The smile that grew on Changmin’s face couldn’t be described as anything other than manic; seeing Sunwoo writhe and his chest rise and fall ragged as he fought against every sensitive touch against his prostate as Changmin began to move the toy.

“Fuck,  _ please, Changmin- _ ” Sunwoo reached for his dick once more, swollen and oh so red, leaking over his stomach uncontrollably as Changmin continued to slowly tease him with the perfect curvature of the toy.

“Come on baby.” He hummed, hand coming to soothe the soft skin of his inner thigh as he kept them parted. He notched up the speed slightly, making Sunwoo grit his teeth in a cry as his body locked up and his back arched up.

“You can do it. Come for me without touching yourself, come on.” He practically implored Sunwoo with such a gentle tone it sent Sunwoo spiralling over the edge until he came. 

_ “Fuck!”  _ His legs shaking from the violence of his orgasm, Changmin purposely pressed harder into his prostate and Sunwoo felt like he could’ve passed out from the intensity. He rode him through it, edging him back down, slowing the speed of the vibrator as Sunwoo hiccuped his breaths in a vain attempt to climb off the cloud he was on. Changmin turned the toy off, pulling it out of him and letting the younger boy breathe for a moment thinking it was all over.

“Good boy.” He praised, running a hand over Sunwoo’s still tender cock to remove the ring around it. Sunwoo had almost forgotten it was on there, and that was probably what made it the best orgasm of his life so far. Changmin’s fingers were cool against his skin, soothing shapes over his hips as he dropped the toy to the side to be dealt with later. Sunwoo let out a shivered moan as he felt the tiredness hit him and the soreness of his wrists begin to kick in.

“Turn over.” Changmin ordered with a low voice. Sunwoo almost sat up in sheer surprise.

“What?” He looked down his body, too tired to actually sit up but his wide eyes did all the talking for him as he met Changmin’s lustful stare. It kicked him heavily in the stomach.

“Did I say we were finished?” Changmin tilted his head sinisterly. Sunwoo felt something mix with the dread in the pit of his stomach.  _ Desire _ , again. Changmin leaned down, pressing kisses to the inside of Sunwoo’s knee, allowing his mouth to trace down to his thigh and hip until he met his dick which was softening. Sunwoo sucked in a breath as he felt Changmin’s tongue lap over him. Hands appearing on his hips to keep him still.

“Turn over.”

Sunwoo felt he had to comply. It was almost innate to listen to that sweetly deceiving tone of Changmin’s, making him groan as he forced himself onto his side before weakly attempting to use his still tied up hands to push himself onto his knees. He knew Changmin was going to ruin him but suddenly he had wanted nothing more in his life than that.

Changmin cooed, letting his hands smooth over Sunwoo’s back and down to his hips, fingers digging into the mounds of his ass just enough to make Sunwoo gasp at the feeling as he parted his cheeks. Sunwoo assumed he let go for a moment to grab another packet of lube, as he felt the coldness run down between his legs and the messiness made him shiver with embarrassment and bury his face into the sheets. His arms stretched out above him uncomfortable bound together by a thin metal chain.

“You’re such a whore for me.” Changmin hissed, a heavy hand kneading at Sunwoo’s ass as he slipped three fingers back into him. Sunwoo groaned. A heavy, tired groan filled with nothing but overridden lust as Changmin fucked into him slowly and already Sunwoo felt like he was going to catch on fire from the heat in the room.

“You took all that and now my fingers? You’re such a slut, what did you ever do before me, hm?” His words had Sunwoo preening, pressing his ass against Changmin’s fingers as if to show him how much of a slut he was. Changmin took it and thrust into him harder, making tiny mewls leave Sunwoo’s tired and hoarse throat. 

He couldn’t contain himself for much longer though, the greed of finally having his own orgasm taking over, he abruptly pulled his fingers from Sunwoo’s ass and pulled his hips harshly back until he was kneeling at the edge of the bed. The sheer force made Sunwoo gulp heavily, having no strength in his arms to keep himself up, he was half smothered in the money littered sheets with his face pressed against the scent of the notes.

Changmin lined himself up, pushing fully into Sunwoo making him whine at the sensitivity of being full once more, except this time with the warmth of Changmin’s dick which was way better than any of the toys he had had in him for the night. Changmin hissed too, feeling slightly satiated in his chase of euphoria as he pulled all the way back out; only to repeat the action another two times and drive Sunwoo wild.

“Fuck, please-” Sunwoo moaned loudly, wiggling his hips beyond conscious control to try and get Changmin to just  _ fuck him already _ . Changmin had other plans. Bringing a hand down on Sunwoo’s ass with force made the boy cry out loud and his body stiffen at the sudden strike on his tender skin. 

“If you start misbehaving now there’s still one thing left to play with.” Changmin warned him, and suddenly Sunwoo felt hyper aware of everything once again. The slapper, the only toy left that he bought that hadn’t been used yet. 

“So be good for him and I’ll make this easier for you.”

It made the adrenaline pump faster around his body, the slight fear and arousal of being spanked but honestly by this point he was too spent and knew it wouldn’t end well for him. So he tried to steady himself. Changmin gave him a moment to settle his hips before caressing his cheeks once again.

“Good boy.” He muttered as he thrust into him heavily. Sunwoo let out a broken whine at the force but had no time to recollect himself as Changmin kept the same pace and fucked into him relentlessly. It was breathtaking, soul shaking, every thrust knocked Sunwoo senseless until he could barely open his eyes anymore or even let a breath out of his lungs. Each slap of Changmin’s hips meeting his ass had electricity running up his spine as he felt that familiar pool of want stir in his lower stomach once again, and Sunwoo was gritting through his teeth to try and fight it off. He did not have the energy to come again right now.

He found his legs growing weak, failing him as Changmin dragged his hips back to meet his thrusts, Sunwoo desperately trying to clench his legs together in some vain attempt to stave off his second orgasm but the only thing that happened was he found himself slipping onto his stomach until he was laying flat on the bed. Changmin using this new position of his to climb onto the edge of the mattress, planting his knees either side of Sunwoo’s ass as he kept fucking into him deeply.

“Fuck, Changmin- fuck- _ fuck- Oh my god”  _ He cried messily into the sheets, voice muffled against the paper notes and linen he lay on, wrists aching against the now heated metal their were encased in as he stretched his arms out above his head. 

Changmin’s moans began to falter as he huffed breathlessly as he fucked into him.

“Fuck you’re so good,  _ so good. _ ” Changmin groaned as he lay himself over Sunwoo’s body, pressing him further into the sheets as he moaned directly into Sunwoo’s ear. The friction of his now hardened dick against the sheets as Changmin pounding him had him quickly coming for a second time as his body seized up from the stimulation, breaking out a wanton cry as he did so. Changmin bit heavily into his shoulder, riding him through his orgasm as he began to only see white. The searing hot pain of the mark Changmin was leaving on him had tears spilling from Sunwoo’s eyes as he choked out his last moan, voice spent from crying and whining the entire time. 

With just a few more thrusts Changmin followed. Coming deeply inside of Sunwoo with a grunt and a heavy snap of his hips Sunwoo moaned at the feeling of being filled up once again. Changmin let his weight press against Sunwoo’s back, far too tired to move after everything as he began to catch his breath back too.

It took a few minutes, but finally Changmin laced a hand along Sunwoo’s arm, reaching up to the handcuffs to unclasp the emergency lock on the cuffs and allowing Sunwoo’s chafed wrists to be free. Sunwoo wriggled his fingers and wrists, wincing slightly as only now did he realize how tightly he had been pulling on them the entire time. Changmin pushed himself out of Sunwoo, who moaned at the feeling and felt Changmin’s fingers pull his face tiredly to the side so he could see him.

Without a single word Changmin pulled him into a kiss. His body still half on top of Sunwoo’s, lips connecting lazily as Sunwoo didn’t have the energy to barely kiss back at all as finally Changmin fell completely to side and kissed him gently a few more times. Heavy sleepiness hit Sunwoo like a truck and he could barely open his eyes.

“You can shower tomorrow.” Changmin muttered against the others lips. Sunwoo didn’t even have the energy to respond to that. If he would’ve opened his eyes he would’ve seen that triumphant smirk Changmin was wearing. 

“Let me clean you up for now.” 

He felt the bed dip, Changmin clearly climbing off it to fetch a damp towel to clean him but Sunwoo could barely remember the actual act as he began to drift in and out of dreams as he did so.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

The next day came with sore wrists for Sunwoo, alongside a slight headache and a hoarse voice. He knew exactly why, but he didn’t quite feel like divulging that information to Changmin, lest his ego grow from it. As the other lay still sleeping by his side he couldn’t help but allow his eyes to linger on him; scanning his unmarked body as it rose and fell with each breath. Changmin was practically an enigma to Sunwoo sometimes; how somebody as soft looking as him could be so sharp and calculating. Sometimes he wondered how much of it was still an act to get him to trust him… And sometimes…

Sunwoo wiped that thought from his head. Climbing out of the bed with stiff legs, he didn’t allow himself to think that Changmin actually cared about him could even be an option. He couldn’t let himself be that weak. He had always been a one man act, even though the help of Changmin had greatly increased his chances of success he wasn’t about to become too reliant on the man himself. Changmin’s skills were reliable… Not Changmin.

He wandered into the bathroom, allowing the water in the shower to heat up before stepping under it, the heat gracing his body beautifully and helping to relax his tender and cramping muscles, washing away the leftover sweat and fluids from the night before. He  _ really  _ hadn’t known anything like Changmin before. In more ways than one. He spent enough time under the hot water for the bathroom to steam up, mirror fogging and air moist and humid as he eventually stepped out after what seemed like forever in the sanctuary of the warmth. He patted himself down with a towel before retrieving one of the complimentary bathrobes from the back of the door and wrapped it around himself with a quick tug at the belt. 

He definitely felt much more like himself again now.

Changmin stirred as he walked back into the bedroom. Somewhere in the midst of Sunwoo being asleep he had showered and slipped into pajama pants, and as Sunwoo pressed the mattress down at the end of the bed Changmin rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked down at him.

“Good morning.” He muttered, voice cracking slightly from his dry throat. Sunwoo simply lifted his upper lip into a smile to reply to him silently, looking half over his shoulder as Changmin began to sit up.

“Getting ready to go down already? Isn’t it a little early?” Changmin quizzed, Sunwoo huffed a small chuckle back to him before leaning back on the bed, propped up by his arms.

“No, we should take it easy today.” His voice strained through a long sigh as his muscles relaxed, his eyes glancing over to Changmin still.

“It’s too suspicious to go back so quickly after a big win. We should stay in the room, enjoy our spoils.” 

Changmin seemed to like that idea.

“I’ll order room service.”

* * *

To say Changmin went a little overboard was an understatement when it came to room service. Every platter on the menu was ordered, every entree, every wine. Even though it was mid afternoon and the intentions were to make it last until the night arrived the plates lingered on the silver trolleys that had been wheeled in by the service staff, placed cautiously in the center of the room between the marble topped wooden table and french furniture style chairs around it. The two of them picked off the plates absentmindedly for the good part of an hour, savoring the expensive balance of flavors. They then spent at least the next hour lounging on the bed talking about Changmin’s escapades with the rich and famous, which led Sunwoo down the narrow path of  _ ‘really? They’re really like that? Amazing, you’re a saint _ ’. Changmin was such a natural storyteller it seemed. The stories were washed away between kisses and exchanging tastes of food and drink between them, luxury coating everything as they lay on top of the soft cotton sheets, legs entwining as they regaled each other once more. Sunwoo definitely couldn't deny that he enjoyed Changmin's company. 

Changmin turned his attention back to the dishes, pulling a trolley closer to the bed so he could continue to lounge around as Sunwoo stood up and wandered over to his bags. He pulled out an ordinary pack of playing cards, nothing special about them, the box worn and frayed from being opened and closed far too many times. He pulled a chair out that was situated under the desk against the wall and sat himself down on it before he began to count through the cards.

Changmin peered over to him curiously.

“What are you doing?”

Sunwoo continued to flip the cards over, acknowledging the number before turning the next one, his movements getting faster and faster. He spared Changmin a quick glance as he continued to place the cards down before focusing on them again.

“Counting exercises.” He replied. Finishing the desk he picked it back up, shuffling them thoroughly before starting over again. Changmin shifted to sit up with his legs from off the edge of the bed to watch Sunwoo properly. 

Sunwoo’s hands worked fast, Changmin wondered how his mind could keep up with it. Slapping card after card down, was it some sort of mental arithmetic? How did one exactly count cards in the first place? How did it predict what would come next?

“Is that what you do during poker games?” He asked. Sunwoo shook his head a little as he finally stopped long enough to look back over to Changmin. His eyes glinted with intent to observe, to know more, to watch. Sunwoo knew it wasn’t easy, it took him months to master this, and even longer to get to right in real time during games and make sure he wouldn’t get caught. It took an exceptionally skilled stiff upper lip to pull it off. Changmin could probably do it, he thought.

“No this is counting.” He replied. Changmin stood up from the bed finally to take a few steps closer to him. “You use it in Blackjack. You assign a value to every card; plus, minus, or zero. Then you keep a running score based on what’s been played on the table. Then you can calculate the true count of the covered deck.”

Changmin blinked a couple of times in quietness. 

“Sounds hard.” 

Sunwoo couldn’t help but chuckle through his teeth.

“Not really. It’s basic math. The hard part is remembering the past numbers as the game goes on. That’s how they spot you too.”

Sunwoo stood up, collecting the cards into a pile and holding them in one hand he wandered back over to the bed and quickly Changmin sat down on the side and joined him. Sunwoo spread the cards out over the uneven sheet, letting the values show face up as Changmin watched on curiously. 

“You see, two to six are worth one point. Seven to nine are zero, and ten through ace are one minus one point.” He pointed down the line of cards to the respective numbers as he explained. Changmin nodded his head knowingly. Seemed simple enough so far.

“If the running count increases it’s an advantage for the player; if it decreases it’s in the house’s favor. Get it?” 

“Got it.” Changmin confirmed. Sunwoo smirked at his eagerness.

“In easy games, it’s simple enough to just do this. However casinos got smart and started using multiple decks. So we had to learn, we had to adapt our strategy. That’s where counting the true count of the deck comes into it.”

“But what do you do?” Changmin leaned forward on his hands a little, leaning into Sunwoo ever so slightly to show his interest. The younger felt victorious; sure Changmin may have had him in the palm of his hand last night but right now this was his element. This was his game, his ring. Changmin was hooked on it and he loved that. Sunwoo gathered the cards up again, shuffling them mindlessly as if it were just like breathing as he answered Changmin.

“In poker? That’s called outing odds. Much less reliable than counting cards in Blackjack, but with you in my team it makes my odds better.” He couldn’t help but throw Changmin a bone because yes- Changmin knowing exactly how to tell if a person was lying or not certainly did make things run smoother for him. Sunwoo couldn’t trust his instincts when it came to poker; he was strictly a numbers guy, running statistics and betting odds over and over until his brain melded them to his long term memory so now it had almost become an autonomous action. But with Changmin even the smallest of doubts in his numbers dwindled when he was aware that the other players were faltering in ways he would have never known or caught himself.

Changmin’s eyes caught Sunwoo’s and for a moment he felt his breath hitch in his throat. Not in an unnerving way but the way Changmin looked at him seemed genuinely curious that he felt the thrill of power being pushed back into his court. 

“Teach me that.”

Sunwoo smirked.

It took a while for Changmin to get to grips with counting outs. Sunwoo constantly drawing cards out between them, asking Changmin to ask which cards could improve his hand. The very little Changmin knew about poker seemed to help. He knew the basic hands; a pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, a royal flush. Sunwoo filled in the gaps for him along the way, describing how an open ended straight would have double the amount of outs than an set straight, how to remember not to double count your outs when it came to the possibility of having multiple draws. It was probably dizzying for the boy who usually just sat prettily on the sidelines, watching whoever was winning the most money and going home with them that night. But since he asked Sunwoo to teach him, Sunwoo had to do his best to try. 

“How do you remember all of that?” Changmin whined slightly, a hand coming to his head as once again Sunwoo set up a flop of cards for Changmin to practice with. The younger simply huffed back at him and raised his shoulders.

“Practice. And memorizing, lots of memorizing, the quicker you are with your math the less likely you are to get caught bluffing.” 

“Again with the math?” 

“At least I’m not making you convert to percentages. And I'm not making you recalculate on the river and turn.” Sunwoo laughed. Changmin remained quiet and clueless, staring at Sunwoo almost in awe as he realized just how quickly his mind worked on such things that he was just starting to comprehend. Sunwoo caught it, a flickering smile in the corner of his lips as he looked back down to the cards.

“So. A two and three of hearts and a ten of diamonds. Your hand is a four of spades and five of hearts. What are your outs?”

Changmin looked long and hard at the cards laid before him, tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek as his eyebrows scruffed slightly under the pressure. Sunwoo couldn’t help but find it charmingly cute. Even more so when his fingers began to twitch as he counted mentally on them.  _ He could never last on the table _ , Sunwoo thought.

“Eight. Four sixes, and four aces.” Changmin practically beamed at him once the answer clicked. Sunwoo smiled back before raking the cards together.

“That’s right, an open ended straight. And what does your opponent have?” Changmin felt jarred by such a question, nowhere in the past hour of Sunwoo teaching him had he ever mentioned opponents cards before. Sunwoo’s eyes didn’t break to look up at him, knowing the boy would be confused by such a curveball, and he simply allowed it to happen.

“I-I don’t know.” Changmin stuttered quietly. He crawled forward slightly on his hands in an attempt to get Sunwoo to look at him.

“Exactly. You don’t know if they all hold the sixes from the deck. You don’t know if they’re sitting on the same hopes as you for when the flop comes out and then nobody ends up winning. Taking commission is how the house wins, and if everybody is betting big thinking they’re gonna win then-.” Sunwoo stood up, not finishing his sentence as he walked back over to the table where he left the tattered card box before he placed them roughly back inside. Showing the exact reason the box came to be in such bad shape in the first place. Changmin remained quietly in the same place, thinking over how the hell you could work out what the other players had in their hands.

“That’s exactly why you’re important to me.” Finally came Sunwoo’s answer. Changmin’s eyes flickered over to him as he began to walk back to the bed.

“The objective is to lie your way through the game; make others  _ think _ you have the upper hand when in reality all you have pair with nothing on the flop so far.” Sadly the analogy was lost on Changmin but he slightly understood that it meant the hand was hopeless. Sunwoo lifted Changmin’s chin up with a gentle brush of his fingers.

“But with you, you can suss out even the slightest of discrepancy in a person's behavior or actions. And that greatly increases my chances.” With each passing word his lips began to move precariously closer and closer to Changmin’s, who was now grinning slightly with an arch of his eyebrow to match.

“Sounds like you need me.” Changmin muttered back, just short of his lover’s breath against his.

“I’m very thankful for you, yes.” Sunwoo cut the talk with the press of his lips against the others. He wasn't going to concede that easily.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

The next evening they were back on track. Entering the backroom just like they had done the previous night, Sunwoo was no longer the bundle of nerves he was at the entrance the first time. In fact, right now he looked like a complete superstar. Tailored slacks that Changmin had convinced him to get one night while browsing through the mall. Two belts across his hips, tucking in a shimmering sheer black and gold shirt which almost looked like a jewel itself. Changmin was in a relaxed suit; a white mid cut jacket with a black blouse underneath, his hair slicked back over to one side. They truly looked like an  _ it _ couple now. 

They were shown to a different room this time, clearly moving up in the world since their large win the other night. Sunwoo will say it was his steel-like glare which brought down the house and aided their win, but Changmin loved to remind him that he would be on the wrong side of the door still if it wasn’t for him. They felt refreshed. Ready to take on any challenge as Sunwoo graced one of the chairs at the table and Changmin gracefully came to be at his side. Sunwoo’s nimble fingers began to organize his chips, mounting them into small, neat piles as the dealer shuffled.

“You’re gonna do great, baby.” Changmin leaned in to press his lips against Sunwoo’s ear as he whispered. The vibrations making Sunwoo’s heart rate quicken as his lips twisted in a fleeting smirk and he looked back up to Changmin.

“You too.” He mumbled back only for him to hear.

“First bets in.” The dealer called, prompting Sunwoo to turn back and look at his opponents once more. He was once again the youngest, but surely they had learned by now he was still a force to be reckoned with. 

The game ran three rounds until the first loser was eliminated. So far Sunwoo didn’t need Changmin’s skills too much, which was something he developed over a period of observation from the previous rounds anyway. But as Sunwoo drew a King of clubs and three of spades with nothing on the flop he was just about ready to fold when he felt Changmin’s finger on his side.

_ The first two prods indicated the player to his left side. The next roll of Changmin’s finger in a slight ‘J’ motion indicated Sunwoo to watch his opponent’s face more closely. _

Sunwoo allowed his eyes to slowly roll over to his left to see what Changmin was on about.

It took him a second, but he caught it; the slight tightness of the guy’s jaw as he stared directly forward as the others continued to call their bets or fold. It still wasn’t enough for Sunwoo to completely feel satisfied that the game would come out in his favor, his odds were practically zero as he waited on Changmin to give him a sign once more.

And then the door opened from behind them.

The noise made everyone jump. Three security guards marching into the room, sectioning themselves at intervals around the table as the other confused players eyed them up curiously. As did Changmin and Sunwoo. But a guilty look could be the one thing which leads to something becoming astray so they tried their best to focus on the game even though the air around them grew tighter.

Changmin didn’t give him a sign again; he was probably too nervous to do so now with the added company of the house guards around them, and Sunwoo completely understood that. What he couldn’t understand is  _ why they were here in the first place _ . If they had somebody to escort out wouldn’t it make sense to have grabbed them by now? 

The call came to Sunwoo and he almost paused as he reached for a few more chips to throw into the center of the table.

“Okay, come with me.” One of the guards on Sunwoo’s left announced. He felt himself tense up. Sunwoo had been familiar with the sensation of security’s hands on his body over the many months of playing in casinos, the tone hitting something too close to home as his eyes widened. But no touch on his shoulders came tonight.

“Hey- get off me-” 

However, they did on Changmin’s.

Sunwoo turned to his side, seeing one of the guards buckling down on Changmin’s shoulders as the other raised his hands to try and peel them off of him. It was fruitless of course, especially as another guard came to hook his arm underneath Changmin’s armpit to help pull him away from the table. Sunwoo was just about ready to jump up and take all three of them on until the dealer coughed and caught his attention.

“We’re terribly sorry. The casino reviewed its security footage from the other night and caught your friend here sneaking into the back rooms to put your names on the list.”

" _What are you doing? Don't fucking touch me-_ "

_ Fuck. _ Sunwoo thought. 

He could hear Changmin in the background, voice growing dimmer in distance but louder by volume as he shouted back into the room. His eyes in the corner of his vision trying to check on Changmin without making his distraction too obvious.

_ ‘I’ll kill you! All of you fuckers! I’ll burn this entire place to the ground with you in! Fucking watch me!’  _ He yelled. Sunwoo gritted his teeth in sheer annoyance. He was making this even more impossible to escape from unharmed. Sunwoo’s eyes flickered back to look at the dealer, who was totally unfazed by his threats.

“We saw him pull the fire alarm and make a break for it. Thanks to him we’ll be updating our security measures for all of our rooms. Unfortunately he won’t be allowed in here again, though.” 

Sunwoo stared. Almost as if to say ‘no shit, Sherlock’ as the screaming words of Changmin finally disappeared into silence as the heavy metal door closed shut behind him, making him shiver slightly now that he was alone and underprepared for the direction the entire night seemed to be going into. The dealer simply stared at Sunwoo with emotionless eyes as the bets began to be placed again.

What the fuck was he supposed to do? Run after Changmin? That could end with both of them hurt,  _ or worse _ . He didn’t even want to brace that thought.

Changmin had gotten them in here. Selflessly, even though Sunwoo had thought only the worst of him from the start. Doubts which had been wavering time and time again as Changmin consistently proved his loyalty to the cause, and Sunwoo guessed, to himself too.

The next card was pulled. Three of diamonds, proving Sunwoo’s hand was absolute garbage and that he should fold right away. His fist tightened on the table in anger. If he folded now maybe he could take his chips and run, maybe find Changmin bloodied in the back of an alley somewhere in an hour or two after they were done with him. As the wager came to him the dealer spoke up once more.

“You’re welcome to stay, and finish your round-”

“How much do I have to place to get him back?” Sunwoo cut him off. The dealer’s eyes widened and curiosity glimmered through. Sunwoo's fingers came to hover over his chips.

“Unharmed.” Sunwoo added.

* * *

Sunwoo had ran up to the room quickly. Grabbing everything that belonged to them, shoving all of the neatly hung up clothes back into the suitcases and making sure his briefcase was in his grasp too before heading down to his car. 

The briefcase that was now much lighter after bargaining for Changmin’s assured safety and return to him after tonight’s commotion.

He sat in his car. Engine running as he tapped his thumb nervously on the wheel and continued glancing out at the sidewalk to see if he could spot Changmin anywhere. Sunwoo couldn’t even be sure if could trust the dealer, who quickly after Sunwoo pushed his entire mound of chips into the center on a dead bet to win Changmin’s freedom had called down to the security room to make sure no harm came to him.

But Sunwoo knew casinos were often not true to their word.

A few more minutes passed with him parked against the curb. The emergency exit doors of the casino swung open and low and behold an unmarked Changmin was carried out by two guards towards the sidewalk, still as rambunctious as the moment they had taken him away it seemed.

He spat out insults to them, struggling against their muscles to free himself from their grasp. It was useless of course, as they veered close enough to the sidewalk to toss Changmin a good few feet as he hit the pavement. He clambered to his knees just short of the vehicle before reaching out to pull the door open, climbing inside as he huffed for his breath back. Sunwoo didn’t waste a second before driving away from the place.

“What’s going on, what’s this?” Changmin seemed genuinely confused and it took all of Sunwoo’s might not to blow up right now and scream back at him. He could hear Changmin, hands fumbling through the bags he had hurriedly thrown into the back seats of the car. The noises of material scraping against each other as Changmin seemingly searched for his belongings irked Sunwoo just enough to open his mouth.

“Shut up, do you have any idea what your little mistake cost us tonight?” He gritted through his teeth. Suddenly the pangs of Changmin’s heart against his chest were almost audible to him as he began to more frantically search through his belongings, or rather, Sunwoo's briefcase to check he really meant that.

“You better not have paid for my release Sunwoo, I swear to God-” He spoke it so under his breath, jaw clenched tightly as his own anger began to build and finally it was enough to piss Sunwoo off enough to curse back at him.

“What the  _ fuck _ was I supposed to do, huh!? They could’ve killed you back there!” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he drove. The aggressive action triggered Changmin to kick one of the suitcases out of his way so he could look at Sunwoo better.

“They wouldn’t have! You fucking  _ idiot _ I can’t believe-!”

“How am I supposed to know, Changmin!? You fucked up! You got caught on camera, you fucking son of a bitch what a rookie mistake-”

Their voices rising above the others with each breath as Sunwoo barely focused on the road anymore, almost seeing red as his anger burst out of every seam of his being.

“Why would you not just have  _ TRUSTED  _ me?” Changmin raged back, throwing himself against the back seat in a fit of sheer frustration as finally Sunwoo sought clarity enough to pull the car over. As he did that Changmin leaned forward over his seat.

“Jesus fucking christ, I did  _ all of THIS for US  _ and you still don’t get it!” 

“Trust?” Sunwoo laughed almost pitifully, tongue swirling out of his mouth as his hands tightened their grip on the wheel. 

“You think I bailed you out because I don’t  _ trust _ you? Think I gave half my money away because _'I don't get it'?”_ His voice began to raise again and Changmin was readying himself to retaliate.

“Bullshit Changmin, you know very well that I love you, so don’t try to pull that shit on me, it won’t fucking work!” Sunwoo slammed his back against the seat as he finished. Frustrating pouring out of his body as he gritted his jaw tightly, realizing his words almost a little too late as he began to bite his tongue to the point his teeth were leaving clear indents in it. He huffed heavily for his breath back after raising his voice.

Changmin stared at him. One eyebrow arched as he was almost at a loss for words.

The air stilled. Still silent and heavy as the two boys gasped for their breath back to calm themselves down, Sunwoo finally let his body relax into the seat as he looked at Changmin through the rearview mirror.

Changmin gulped. Laying himself back with hunched shoulders and shaken breath as he stared directly back at Sunwoo through the mirror.

“Ride or die?” 

Sunwoo gulped, rolling his tongue against his thick lower lip as he checked Changmin’s features for any hint of forewarning or betrayal.

“Ride or die.”

There was none.


	13. Chapter 13

They didn’t go far to find a motel to stay in for the night. The tension was too thick in the air for Sunwoo to concentrate on driving, Changmin’s hands were sneaking around his seat and into his hair. He tried not to pick such a sleazy one to appease Changmin even a little, but the boy seemed more concerned with ridding him of his jacket the moment they stepped through the door.

Tongues met hastily, followed by shaking hands as Changmin completely undressed both of them. Sunwoo was feeling lazy, or rather, like Changmin owed him for throwing half of his money away on bailing him out. He let Changmin do all the work, fucking himself ragged on his cock before he was nothing more than a whining mess, only then did Sunwoo contemplate taking over, letting his hands guide Changmin’s hips down onto him repeatedly, purposely deep and hard until Changmin spilled out between them. He was so beautiful when he was fucked breathless, so compliant and dazed with open lips and glossy eyes. Sunwoo couldn’t help but feel sentimental, pulling his lover in for a deep kiss as he changed the pace. Fucking into him teasingly slow as Changmin’s thighs began to shake and finally Sunwoo came.

They both occupied the shower after it, the moment filled with Changmin rambling praise at Sunwoo; something he could definitely get used to. Since their small bust up in the car Changmin somehow seemed calmer. Maybe he finally had gotten all the anger out of his system, Sunwoo thought. He returned the praise, checking to make sure there were no marks on his body after his scramble with security, Changmin welcoming them with open arms.

And then they went to sleep. Changmin started the night curled up against Sunwoo’s chest, Sunwoo loving the feeling of the other’s skin against his own as it practically lulled him off to sleep. They hadn’t even talked about their next step yet. Where they were going, how they were getting by. Sunwoo already knew in his mind they were going to have to lay low, maybe pick less well known casinos for the near future just in case others were on the lookout for them. He assumed it would be obvious to Changmin too, so he would deal with that conversation in the morning.

He awoke in the middle of the night, eyes burning slightly as they tried to adjust to the darkness. He had moved almost to the edge of the bed and no longer felt the warmth of Changmin’s body against his own as he got up to use the bathroom, closing his eyes first before switching the light on in hopes of lessening the burn.

He had no idea what time it was, it still looked pitch black outside but he couldn’t tell how much the curtains were contributing to that as he wavered unsteadily on his feet before heading back into the room. He blinked a few times. The sheets looked a little too unoccupied for somebody to be sleeping underneath them.

“Changmin?” His weary voice called out. When he gained no answer, not even a sleepy sigh he became concerned. He blindly searched for the light on the wall, smacking his palm on it. He immediately noticed that  _ yes  _ Changmin wasn’t there and his brain threw him into fight or flight mode.

“Shit.”

He got dressed quickly, throwing his arms into the nearest shirt he could find, jeans on and a jacket he was hastily trying to zip up at the same time he was slipping his shoes on. Where the fuck could he have gone? Every time Changmin disappeared like this Sunwoo’s first instinct was to think he had finally ran away with the money, but his briefcase remained intact in the bedroom and as Sunwoo ran outside the car remained exactly where he parked it.

‘Where the fuck is he?’ Sunwoo began to panic.

He ruled out the impossible; there was no way somebody from the casino could’ve broken in and kidnapped him. Sunwoo would’ve heard it. With the car still there he couldn’t have gone far, it was just the question of working out where-

_ ‘I’ll kill you! All of you fuckers! I’ll burn this entire place down to the ground with you in! Fucking watch me!’ _

“He better fucking not-” Sunwoo muttered to himself as he ran back inside to grab his briefcase and car keys.

He started the car, the casino approximately a ten minute drive from where they were staying. Meaning it was very likely that Changmin had enough time to make it to the casino on foot. His fears were confirmed as he reached one block away from the casino, there was no mistaking the orange flicker of flames engulfing a building, nor the sirens of the fire department who were already on scene. He jumped out of the car, joining the parade of people who lived in the vicinity watching the building burn down before their eyes. Sunwoo prayed, honest to god prayed that Changmin wasn’t stupid enough to hang around the scene of the crime with so many cops on show here. But sadly he didn’t pray hard enough.

The building burned. Crackling flames spitting out as they engulfed more oxygen to grow. People were still fleeing the scene; residents from the hotel who had struggled to get out before the fire encased them inside of it. Sunwoo dreaded to think that there was anybody still stuck inside of there.

Changmin stood motionless. Eyes fixated on his creation as everyone around him stood in horror as the firefighters battled it out to win over the blaze. Changmin seemed to be watching a show rather than a real life scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

Sunwoo’s blood boiled. Rage filled his bones until he began to shake and in no time he was next to Changmin, snatching his arm in a heavy grip to break his dazed grin and stare away from him.

“What the fuck did you do!?” He hissed, definitely bruising Changmin’s arm with how tight he was holding it, but Changmin didn’t even flinch a bit.

“I told them I’d burn it.” He replied so matter of factly that it made Sunwoo’s head spin. Was he fucking serious? Glass broke from the heat of the fire, shattering into thousands of pieces as those watching screamed in fear from the explosion. Sunwoo jumped at the noise, Changmin’s eyes immediately turning back to look at his creation. The peak of the fire brimming out of every window, every door as it rose up through the hotel. Painting the once beige walls in charred black soot and scalding hot burns as they traveled the building.  _ Art _ , as Changmin would call it.

“Changmin, you crazy piece of shit.” Sunwoo hissed through his teeth. He pulled at Changmin’s arm in a bid to get him to leave the scene before some casino worker identified him at the scene, but Changmin was suddenly set like stone in his place.

“They’re gonna know it was you, get in the fucking car.”

“Wait a second- I just want to watch it.”

Sunwoo stared at him in utmost confusion. Changmin was in awe; watching the flames reach higher made his chest swell with pride. The smile on his face grew inch by inch until it almost looked maniacal. Sunwoo’s eyes widened at it. He seemed so invested, a look Sunwoo had never seen before and it scared him slightly. A feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach about how dangerous he truly could be but then in the same breath Changmin had been so tame for him. Changmin gasped a little as the flames wisped in the dead air of the night; bodies flocking around the scene in panic but Changmin felt as calm as ever. 

Sunwoo finally turned his attention to the fire, watching the orange lights engulf everything around them, the crackling sounds filling the air drowning out the shrieks and screams of those watching the building burn. It was sinister, burning something out of sheer spite, not caring about those who may be impacted by the decision to destroy everything around you, in fact, feeling joy from it. Sunwoo shuddered at the thought that Changmin-

“Isn’t it beautiful?” He began, prompting Sunwoo to break from his thoughts and look at him. Changmin’s eyes were glossy, almost like he hadn’t blinked in the entire time he had been watching the casino burn in front of them.

“How the flames engulf everything around them? So greedy and violent. Taking everything they can get and leaving nothing behind.” He spoke with such remorselessness that Sunwoo almost physically stumbled. Was it possible to feel nothing negative about such a thing he was describing? Did Sunwoo want to contemplate that much further?

“It’s inspirational, don’t you think?” He quirked an eyebrow over towards Sunwoo and that was enough to snap the boy back to reality.

“Get in the car.” 

Somehow they managed to get back unscathed. Drawing no attention from the streets of cops and employees, Sunwoo kept a firm grip on Changmin’s wrist as he dragged him through the streets until they reached the car.

He climbed into the driver’s side, and for a change Changmin took up residence in the front passenger seat rather than the back. Sunwoo wanted to ask why but his mind was too preoccupied with getting as  _ far  _ away as possible from the scene Changmin had caused.

They drove in silence for a while, mostly aimlessly as Sunwoo was trying to think up a place they could get to which wouldn’t be too suspicious. He knew many casinos on the outskirts of towns but the money wasn’t good… But right now it seemed like their only option if he wanted to lay low for a while.

Changmin hummed. A tune that Sunwoo didn’t know that sounded half perky and half sadistic. It suited him perfectly and slowly but surely it began to drive Sunwoo insane. With a few glances to his side Sunwoo realized that Changmin wasn’t paying attention to where they were driving at all; his eyes were transfixed out of the side window watching the buildings pass by in starry blurs, his thumb tapping on the plastic of the car interior. It was like nothing was wrong. This was just another midnight drive for the both of them.

“Do you realize how badly you could’ve fucked up tonight?” Sunwoo breached the question calmly. Changmin was clearly listening as he stopped humming, but he didn’t answer.

Sunwoo waited a few moments, trying his best not to let his anger get the best of him; he was tired, it was the dead of night and after the shock of what had just happened he was partially numb and too drained to deal with a fight right now.

“What if they saw you?”

“But they didn’t” Changmin’s immediate response came. Sunwoo glanced over at him, Changmin was now looking in front of them, watching as the road was eaten up as they traveled further out of the city. He had no idea where they were going, but he knew he was in no position to ask or argue against it.

“Well they  _ could’ve-” _ Sunwoo couldn’t help but raise his voice with the last word, letting his emotions get the better of him for a split second and Changmin’s eyes flickered over to look at him briefly. Sunwoo calmed himself down once more.

“You should’ve just left it to me. We could’ve worked our way up-” Sunwoo began to ramble. God, this entire thing was a mistake. Letting Changmin run off that night to sneak into the back rooms. Sunwoo had no idea he would do that in the first place but he should’ve known him better, even then. Now here they were, risking being on the blacklist of every casino in the area thanks for Changmin’s inability to be cool headed about anything.

“Ugh, who has the time~ Waiting is so boring.” Changmin chimed, the change of his voice lifted the atmosphere a little, he was no longer flat and monotonous. Sunwoo arched a curious eyebrow at him as Changmin shifted around in his seat. 

He reached into the back of the car. The two of them hadn’t unpacked for the night they were staying in the motel minus Sunwoo’s briefcase which rarely left his side. He had thrown it into the back seat before driving off to the casino, and now it was in Changmin’s hands as he brought it into his lap.

“Why don’t you ever dream big?” Changmin questioned. Sunwoo was confused by what he meant by that. 

Was what they were doing not ‘dreaming big’? Sunwoo had more money than he had ever hoped for in his life, was that not enough?

“Why do you only fill up one lousy briefcase of cash every time you play?” Changmin shook the half empty case; a reminder of just how much Changmin’s safety had meant to him a few hours prior.

“So nobody gets too suspicious.” Sunwoo answered.

_ Nobody. _ Sunwoo wanted to lay under everyone’s radar. When he walked the streets, when he was in the clubs. The less suspicious he was the more rewarding it felt when he took home a big win that nobody expected. Because that was his life. Nobody had ever expected anything from him, so he was going to prove them all wrong. He was going to take everything he wanted.

But also for safety. Honestly Sunwoo was surprised Changmin hadn’t been the target of theft every time they entered a casino. He stunk of naivety (even if it was fake), his clothes rang out ‘ _ expensive’  _ and he certainly put himself in many situations which could easily be used against him by the means of extortion or simple robbery. 

“But who  _ cares _ ?” Changmin sighed in frustration. Clearly he was unimpressed with Sunwoo’s intentions and goals in life. “At the end of the end you’re just some seat warmer in a casino that thinks they own you.”

He turned to look at Sunwoo squarely, the boy driving trying to look back while keeping his eyes on the road.

“So beat the system, cheat them out of every last penny they own,  _ ruin them _ .” His words growing more and more fanatic with each passing syllable. He finished and turned his eyes back to the road, and only then did Sunwoo stop feeling the weight of his words on him.

“And how much power do you think you’ve got, huh?” He retaliated to Changmin. The other boy smirked a little and huffed a laugh through his cheeks. Sunwoo’s grip tightened on the wheel.

“You burn one casino to the ground they’re all gonna be on the lookout for someone like you.”

“So?” Changmin replied. He lifted his feet up onto the dashboard to make himself more comfortable, prompting Sunwoo to glance at his still pacified expression. Calm, reserved; Sunwoo couldn’t tell if this sort of thing with Changmin was the norm or if he just decided to act out to see what he would do. To test him. Sunwoo wanted to believe it was the latter, truly. Even with the thoughts niggling away in the back of his mind still.

“That just makes it more fun for me.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the longer wait, i hope this chapter makes up for it <3

In the true style of laying low Sunwoo didn’t even tell Changmin where they were going that night. He drove him to the edge of the city, away from the glaring lights to a place they were more dull and downtrodden. Changmin remained completely silent in the car, and Sunwoo assumed it was because he was still angry after Sunwoo told him they needed to lay low for a while.

_ ‘Why?’ Exclaimed Changmin, practically stomping his foot like a spoiled teenager. _

_ ‘Because you fucked up and they’re gonna be looking for us!’ Sunwoo hadn’t even bothered to check out of the motel, instead he just continued to drive until the noise of the streets began to fade. He forgot about the deposit he was supposed to get back from reception, he just classed it as more collateral Changmin had caused him to lose. _

_ ‘Have you never heard of hiding in plain sight?’ Changmin tried to smart mouth him. Sunwoo’s hands gripped tighter on the wheel. _

_ ‘Have you ever heard about shutting the fuck up?’  _

_ Without warning Changmin swiveled around in the passenger seat, lacing his legs across Sunwoo’s thighs as he focused on the road. His grip on the wheel subconsciously loosening ever so slightly.  _

_ ‘Make me.’ Changmin’s tone completely changed. He had previously kicked his shoes off to make himself comfortable and now his feets were purposely rubbing over Sunwoo’s thighs to get some sort of lustful reaction from him. And Sunwoo would be wrong to say he wasn’t tempted.  _

_ He glanced over to his lover from the corner of his eye. Changmin sprawling himself against the door with that fake doe eyed expression that Sunwoo knew all too well by now. He almost caved in until he spotted his briefcase on the floor. It instantly soured his mood and he used a hand to push Changmin’s legs off of him. _

_ ‘Get off me.’  _

_ Changmin quickly retracted his legs, pulling them into his body as he snarled at Sunwoo, who kept his eyes on the road. _

_ ‘It’s your fault we’re in this. From now on we go by my rules. Got it?’  _

_ Changmin didn’t answer. _

Now it has been three days. Three days of playing in some shoddy, run down casino on the border of the city lights. A casino where the money was low, but so was the skill of the players and the quality of the drinks. Changmin sat at the bar most of the time, his skills not needed against these pathetic players Sunwoo was up against. He won consistently without trying, barely even needing to use outing cards to help because some of these players were just so  _ bad  _ at bluffing Sunwoo could see it as clear as day.

_ ‘How long are we gonna be here for?’ Changmin asked. He walked into the hotel room in a rush, throwing his jacket to the ground as he stormed over to the dark chest of drawers at the other side of the room. _

_ ‘As long as it takes’ Sunwoo replied. He went to remove his jacket to hang it up, but in that instance Changmin flew into a fit of frustration.  _

_ His hands swept across the drawers, knocking off the lamp and the vase of ugly, fake flowers that were resting on top of it. The ceramic smashing onto the lightly carpeted floor caught Sunwoo’s attention as he stared back up to Changmin. _

_ ‘I’m TIRED of this!’ Changmin’s hands shook as he turned back to Sunwoo, approaching him quickly, body starting to tremble as he grabbed hold of Sunwoo’s shirt. _

_ ‘Can’t you find some other way to punish me? Literally please, anything.’ He clung onto Sunwoo as if he couldn’t stand up for himself. Sunwoo felt his resilience fracture, but not enough to give in. _

_ ‘You caused this. Now you have to deal with it yourself.’ Sunwoo unclasped Changmin’s hands from him and walked over to the bed. _

_ ‘But i’m so BORED.’ Changmin flew back to him, following behind him closely like a shadow. Sunwoo didn’t flinch or look back. _

_ ‘Can we please go somewhere else?’ Changmin attempted to get Sunwoo to look at him, knowing he would break easier if he did. He swept from side to side desperately before crawling onto the bed Sunwoo was facing. _

_ ‘Aren’t you tired of petty money? Of being among the inadequate? Don’t you miss the city lights? The noises filling your brain as you play?’  _

_ Sunwoo kept a stiff upper lip, resisting Changmin’s hands which roamed over his torso in a needy bid to get Sunwoo to give into him. _

_ ‘We leave when I say we do.’ Sunwoo pushed Changmin back onto the bed. Changmin continued to lay there and glower up at the other. _

_ ‘No discussions.’ _

It was now the night after that discussion and Sunwoo felt like Changmin had learned his place. They entered the casino together and without a word Changmin headed off to drown his useless sorrows. Sunwoo walked straight over to the usual table, placing his betting chips down before seating himself.

The evening was passing slowly, sadly for Sunwoo. He was content raking in the winnings most rounds, hearing the older men grumble about how the game was fixed somehow but even the shoddiest of dealers knew that Sunwoo was too good of a player to be here. A couple of minutes later he had won yet another round. Rounding his chips up, he figured he was at least half way recovered from the damages Changmin gave him.

_ ‘Hey, get down from there’ _ The voice rang too far in the distance for Sunwoo to let it sink in. 

He leaned forward, ready to place another bet until the sound of glass breaking reverberated around the room. The dealer broke the trance of the table, eyes connecting with the collision at the bar and instantly Sunwoo began to inwardly curse at himself.

_ Changmin. _

The noise level grew inside the casino and soon enough it was confirmed. The laughter emanating from the near the bar could be only his lover and Sunwoo used the break in concentration at the table to sweep his chips into a bag and excuse himself. Turning around he saw Changmin dancing on top of the bar as he swung an expensive bottle of whiskey around in one hand. The maniacal smile on his face told Sunwoo everything he needed to know; he needed to get him out of there. Fast.

The thrashing of voices over one another worsened as Sunwoo approached the bar. Changmin retaliated to the sounds by knocking bottles and glasses off the counter with his feet. No music played, but he moved like there was; picking his feet up to stomp as he turned away from the hands of the guards who were trying to pull him down.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sunwoo hissed, managing to attract the attention of the mad man.

“Do you know him?” The security guard asked. 

“Come join me!” Changmin laughed as he lifted the bottle up to his lips; a shrill yelp sounding from a woman too nearby as he kicked another glass of scotch clean off the bar. A hand reached up to take Changmin’s arm which wasn’t Sunwoo’s and suddenly the man felt like he needed to step in.

“Get the fuck down-”

“Hey! I said-” The security guard caught Sunwoo’s ear as a grip tightened on his shoulder, once again triggering a reaction from Sunwoo.

“Do you know him-” The guard barely finished before Sunwoo’s fist swiftly connected with his face.

The clanging against the metal stool he fell against seemingly woke Changmin up; he pulled his arm raggedly away from the vice on his forearm as he dropped the expensive bottle of whisky he was holding, but when it didn’t budge he sought to do the next best thing by biting down on the hand instead.

A yelp, a scream, a whimper. Changmin was free for merely seconds before Sunwoo managed to snap back to him and reach a hand up to his lover.

This time Changmin willingly took it.

He tried to pull him off the bar, eyes alert as the two guards were regrouping quickly and clearly planning to take them both down. Sunwoo didn’t want to wait around to see what would happen if they did. He ran, pulling Changmin along with him as he skipped almost merrily down the narrow aisle, boots connecting with every bottle and glass, breaking them along the way. Sunwoo bolted for the nearest exit the moment Changmin dropped down to be at his side finally.

His adrenaline was kicking in; something he hadn’t felt in such a way for a while… Since Sunwoo had to escape the hands of security himself. A small part of him had missed the chase. But Changmin’s insane laughter ringing beside him kept him on track, heart beating heavily in his throat as they booked it towards his car which was parked on the furthest side of the casino car park.

“See? Wasn’t that so fun!?” Changmin chortled, his legs still carrying him with a skip and a jump as they ran out into the fresh night air. Sunwoo didn’t waste time to catch his breath yet until they reached the vicinity of his car, figuring such a small casino wouldn’t have the manpower of more than the two guards they had just left behind.

“Better than sitting at those dull tables all night-” Changmin’s hand slipped free of Sunwoo’s grasp and in a swift second Sunwoo captured both of his lover’s shoulders and shoved him square against the side of the car.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He growled, panting breathlessly as he attempted to get a straightforward answer from Changmin. But he could see, by the smile gracing Changmin’s face there was no logic or reasoning to be held behind his actions. Sunwoo’s grip loosened in disbelief.

“You’re going to get us both killed.”

“Then we’ll go down fighting!” Changmin feigned bravery, puffing his chest out like a war hero accepting a medal; it drove Sunwoo to the point of crazy.

“You’re fucking derranged.” He hissed, using his light hold on Changmin’s shoulders to press him into the cold metal of the car in hopes it would knock sense into him.

“Or sociopathic or something, I swear-” He moved to open the passenger door, immediately allowing Changmin to drop into the passenger seat as he raced to the driver’s side.

Driving away just in time to spot the guards chasing them exiting the venue in their search.

In a couple of minutes they were back on the road, Sunwoo driving them back to the motel they were staying at as tension built up between them; he was furious. Changmin was not to be trusted, not to be left unattended to and for that reason he knew in his heart that he had to lose him. Changmin seemed to sense that energy.

“Hey.” His voice rang with unexpected softness as Sunwoo completely focused on the road.

“Hey.” It rang again, this time Changmin shifting in his seat to get closer to Sunwoo as he paid him no attention. Next thing Sunwoo knew there were hands on his face, trying their best to desperately bring his attention over to the one demanding for it.

“Look at me.” Changmin called again, soft and gentle, unlike just moments before in the casino where he was laughing like a maniac. Sunwoo couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh to himself.

“You’re fucking crazy.” He muttered. He missed the slight smirk on Changmin’s lips at that comment.

Changmin leaned in, pressing his lips against Sunwoo’s ear, muffing the sound of cars driving past on the opposite side of the road. He kept his lips on him, moving to his temple, his jaw, eventually wearing the driver down until Sunwoo felt his perseverance waver and his neck become weak. Changmin used that; his other hand snaking onto Sunwoo’s opposite cheek to turn his head towards him as Sunwoo’s eyes strained to keep an eye on the road.

Changmin kissed him, slowly at first until Sunwoo gave in and kissed him back. Tongues lapping as Changmin kept quiet and almost subservient as Sunwoo’s eyes half closed over and he didn’t focus on driving for a few seconds. The moment Changmin felt Sunwoo become a bit too needy he broke the kiss.

“That’s exactly why you love me, right?” He muttered against the other’s lips. Sunwoo savored the sour taste of Changmin’s mouth, tasing like expensive whisky and salt. 

* * *

The moment they arrived back at the motel Changmin’s hands were already busying themselves with removing Sunwoo from his clothes. Sunwoo sighed into their open mouth as he pulled his own shirt down his arms, allowing Changmin to focus on taking his own off.

“You’re fucking crazy.” Sunwoo repeated, kissing him aggressively as if he was about to take all of his anger out on Changmin.

“Yeah?” Changmin muttered back against his lips, parting him for a split second to look at Sunwoo fully.

“Then treat me like it.”

Sunwoo obliged, a hand running into Changmin’s hair he pulled on it harshly, the boy groaning at the pain but still that obnoxious smirk lay clear on his lips. Sunwoo wanted to wipe it away so badly. Changmin’s head hit the door as Sunwoo pushed him back, a hiss leaving his throat as Sunwoo’s thick lips traced down them, feeling the warmth of his flushed skin under his touch before he found the perfect spot to bite down on. Right down on his jugular, teeth melding into the skin as if he had been left starving for days. He sucked against the skin, definitely leaving a mark as Changmin’s breath hitched in his throat at the forming bruise before Sunwoo continued to travel down onto his chest.

He littered Changmin with possessive marks; bruising him with purple and crimson with visible puncture marks in places and all Changmin could do in response was moan languidly into the open air. He hissed a  _ ‘yes’  _ through gritted teeth and for some reason it infuriated Sunwoo beyond any means.

“On your knees.” He ordered. Changmin took a few seconds to register that command, Sunwoo’s grip tightening in his hair to assist him down onto the ground.

Changmin reached up to unzip Sunwoo’s pants, amazed honestly by how quickly anger seemed to get Sunwoo hard but he didn’t have time to question it. Sunwoo swatted his hands away in favor of unbuttoning himself with his free hand, taking his time as Changmin gasped for his breath back with an open mouth.

“Open wide.” Sunwoo had barely pushed his pants over his hips enough to free his cock but Changmin didn’t waste a second. Pushing his tongue over his bottom lip in anticipation he allowed his jaw to slack, making Sunwoo’s pulse rise as he gritted his teeth together while freeing his hardened dick from his too tight pants.

With a hand still in Changmin’s hair and the other on his cock he tapped it against Changmin’s tongue for good measure, earning a quelled moan from the boy on his knees as he waited for Sunwoo to use him. And use, he did. Without a verbal warning he pushed into Changmin’s awaiting mouth, knocking his own hand and Changmin’s head back against the door as he hilted to the back of his throat. Changmin attempted to gulp around him, oxygen cutting off as he looked up to Sunwoo to see how long he wanted to watch him like this; Sunwoo’s mind was quickly clouding over and allowing lust to drive his senses.

Changmin looked so good when he was compliant. Waiting for Sunwoo to decide every move without so much as an argument or a grimace of his face. He let out a shaky moan as he tried to push in even further, knocking Changmin back against the wood once more and making him choke and Sunwoo felt that sweet contraction around his cock at the back of Changmin’s throat.

“So fucking good.” He mumbled, Changmin did his best to smile at the praise before Sunwoo began to throat fuck him with force.

It quickly became messy, drool spilling from Changmin’s mouth as he had no control over it. Sunwoo repositioned his hand in Changmin’s hair to grip him better, using it to angle Changmin’s mouth just perfectly for him to fuck into as his hips began to build speed. Changmin choked over and over, guttural sounds vibrating around Sunwoo’s dick as he attempted to breathe where he could find air. Wet sounds filled the room as Sunwoo hissed every time Changmin flexed his tongue on the underside of his cock, dragging himself back to feel the delcious glide of the muscle before fucking straight back in again and knocking the air from his lungs.

“On the bed.” He managed to spit out as he pulled completely away from Changmin. The only thing apparently supporting the boy on his knees had been Sunwoo’s hand in his hair, because as he moved away Changmin fell forward onto his hands to gasp for his breath back. Sunwoo felt his dick twitch at that sight already.

Changmin scrambled forward. Sunwoo used the time to completely remove his pants and discard them somewhere to be found later. Changmin reached the bed and pulled himself up by the sheets, not beating Sunwoo in quickness as hands reappeared on his hips and pushed him onto the bed so he was lying on his stomach.

“Is this what you wanted?” Sunwoo used the grip he had on Changmin’s pants to pull them down unbuttoned over his legs.

“More than you would ever know.” Was Changmin’s reply.

Sunwoo was so tempted to take him right there and then; no warning, no prep. However he wasn’t the monster Changmin was pushing him to be, so in a quick breath he took to the drawer at the side of the bed to pull out lube packets; and Changmin used that time to flip himself onto his back.

“Who said I wanted to see you?” Sunwoo sounded harsh but Changmin grinned up at him. It was blood boiling, rage inducing, Changmin pissed Sunwoo off with every little thing he did of his own free will right now. But Changmin didn’t flinch, he simply wiggled his hips towards the end of the bed as Sunwoo settled himself between them.

“You don’t wanna see as you wipe the smile off my face while you fuck me?” He hummed, pulling himself up to rest on his elbows. Fuck, he had a point. 

Sunwoo pushed him down to lie flat again, Changmin willingly parting his legs further as Sunwoo’s hands traced over them roughly. He landed a smack on the outside of one of Changmin’s thighs, barely earning a response from the boy lying down so he did it once again just to make sure it would leave a small red mark. Changmin’s thighs tensed a little, Sunwoo opening a packet to spread the cold gel onto his fingers, barely letting it warm up before he used the rest on Changmin’s hole as a warning he was about to start.

Changmin hissed as Sunwoo pushed a finger into him, a noise Sunwoo was growing to love more and more as the night went on. He fucked into him quickly, making the boy whine and writhe in a silent beg for more but Sunwoo decided to tease him and slow down.

“Is this why you do these things? To get a rise out of me?” He found himself licking his lips at that very thought. Changmin bubbled out a laugh from his chest.

“If that’s what you want to think.” 

Sunwoo lined up his second finger with the promise of giving into Changmin if he simply cooperated.

“I think you’re genuinely crazy. I think you’d like to watch the whole world burn with me in it.” He teased at Changmin’s entrance as the boy gasped in thoughtless pleasure.

“Where would be the fun in the world if it didn’t have you in it?”

Sunwoo caved and fucked into him.

Two fingers turned to three, enough to have Changmin grasping at the sheets as he held onto his sanity a little longer. Sunwoo wanted to ruin him; wanted to make him cum and then cum again with his dick but the reality was his patience was also wearing thin as his cock throbbed painfully as it waited to replace the job he was doing with his fingers. Changmin sounded beautiful beneath him, breathless and covered in sweat as his chest rose and fell erratically. The bruises Sunwoo had left on him before gaining a dark red hue as blood rushed to the surface of his skin. 

Sunwoo knew he had to give this all up, but he was addicted.

Pulling his fingers out of Changmin, the boy practically gasped as he clenched around nothingness. Sunwoo pumped over his cock, hissing at the sensitivity of it as he graced the heat with cold lube once more before lining himself up with Changmin’s ass.

He moaned longingly, pushing in slowly, slower than he would’ve liked but he knew it would drive Changmin crazier than it was doing to himself. He kept his control, bottom lip between his teeth as he bottomed out and Changmin’s hands came to latch at his forearms.

“Don’t touch me.” 

Changmin immediately dropped his hands to the sheets.

Sunwoo pulled almost all the way back out, watching his cock with eagerness as he thrust deeply back into Changmin again, seeing how Changmin’s hips arched up as he let out a deep moan. He repeated the action again, and once more for good measure as Changmin’s moans evolved into cries of agony as he just wanted to be fucked properly.

And eventually Sunwoo caved too.

He fucked into him, heavily and building pace. Changmin’s moans bubbled into hiccups each time Sunwoo’s hips slapped against his ass as all Changmin could do was hold onto the sheets for stability. Sunwoo watched him intensely; watching as his eyes rolled to the back of his head every time Sunwoo grazed against his prostate, Sunwoo pushed his own knees onto the edge of the bed for a better angle to fuck into him deeper, purposely drilling into his sweet spot until Changmin began to beg.

“Fuck-  _ fuck Sunwoo, _ I’m gonna cum.” He managed to pant out between thrusts. Sunwoo’s breath became ragged as he felt Changmin tense up around his cock, making each snap of his hips harder and harder as he tried to move faster. He hummed his moans through closed lips, focusing on working his anger out in each heavy thrust against Changmin’s ass but it never felt like enough. He leaned down into Changmin’s chest, lips latching over one of his nipples as he began to suck aggressively. 

“Oh my  _ god.”  _ Changmin exclaimed, hands immediately delving into Sunwoo’s hair which had him growling. He took the nipple between his teeth, nipping on it with just enough force to cause Changmin to cry and his hands to pull against the strands of his hair.

“Off.” He managed to mutter and once again Changmin pulled his hands away in favor of pulling at his own hair instead this time.

It wasn’t long after that until Changmin came. Sunwoo moved to litter his body in more and more light marks, chest heaving as the friction from Sunwoo’s stomach against the head of his cock sent him spiraling untouched. Sunwoo barely had enough energy left in him to lift himself up, fucking himself out by using Changmin until he was drained of all the anger he had felt before.

“Sunwoo.” Changmin called up to him to break his trance. He finally looked at his face, seeing tear marks down the sides of his cheeks as he tried to untangle his hands from his hair.

“Kiss me.” 

It was an unusual request. Still something in Sunwoo pulled him towards Changmin, silently positioning himself over Changmin’s body as he pounded into him still, connecting their lips in a hungry exchange which left Sunwoo moaning heavily into his mouth. Changmin appeared satiated, letting Sunwoo consume him until the rhythm of his hips changed; becoming erratic and unsteady as he began to lose himself fully. He changed up his strokes, moving deeply with powerful thrusts as he felt Changmin’s shaking legs wrap around his waist and pull him even closer. Then he recognized the touch of Changmin’s colder hands against his face.

The sudden softness shifted Sunwoo’s mind into a different type of daze. Separating their lips to mere millimeters apart he moaned lowly against the mismatched huff of Changmin’s breath against him as his breaths stuttered. His hands balling up at the sides of Changmin’s head to keep him steady he fucked in deep one last time before coming inside of Changmin.

“Fuck.” Changmin muttered against the other’s lips. The feeling of Sunwoo spilling inside of him making him moan and keen as Sunwoo let out a breathy moan as he fucked himself through his orgasm. As he came to a stop he pressed his lips against Changmin’s once more, claiming them in a much calmer manner than before as Changmin returned it softly.

His anger was spent. Thoroughly fucked out via Changmin as the boy lay tiredly on the bed as Sunwoo cleaned them up. His legs hanging off the edge of the bed; even after everything Sunwoo had felt tonight he still helped the elder back into the bed, even letting him pull himself against Sunwoo’s chest as they lay next to each other.

“Sunwoo.” His voice sounded sleepy and hoarse. 

“Mm.”

“Even if I was crazy, you wouldn’t leave me… Right?” 

Sunwoo felt his heart falter as Changmin’s question. The impact of reality hitting him as he thought it through for real.

If he left Changmin… What would he even have left to live for?

“No, Changmin.” He reassured him with a press of his lips against the side of his head as he pulled him in tighter.

“No I wouldn’t.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you don't know how the card game 'cheat' works, each player starts out with 10-20 cards. You must go through ace-king in sequence until one player is left with no cards and declared the winner.  
> You place your cards face down, meaning there is room to bluff if you wish to. You can place three 7's and call it that, or you may place two 7's and a 3 and call it three 7's.  
> If another player suspects you of bluffing, they call "cheat". You are required to show your cards to the players. If you're cheating, you must pick up all the cards in the pile.   
> If you were telling the truth, the player who called you out must pick up all the cards instead.
> 
> that's it :) enjoy

Sunwoo awoke to an empty bed the next morning. The coldness greeted him as he stretched his still tired body out, taking his time to let his eyes adjust to the light coming from the window. He knew he wasn’t truly alone in the room however, hearing light footsteps traipse from the bathroom over to, what he assumed was the table against the side of the wall. This room was a lot smaller than they had been used to, the sound reverberating easily around it, once again it was the result of not being able to trust Changmin in the bigger casinos for the time being. He heard a familiar tapping on the table, but one he couldn’t quite figure out just yet due to his weary mind, something sounding slightly like shuffling or nails dancing on wood.

“What are you doing?” He looked over, rubbing his foggy eyes until he could see clearly enough that Changmin was opening his pack of playing cards, passing them between his fingers as he seemingly studied the red and blue diamonds on the back of them.

“I think you should learn something about me.” He replied.

Sunwoo sat up, obviously confused as to what that could mean because for Sunwoo it could mean many things right now. Why he acted out sometimes, who his past ‘clients’ were, how he got involved in the casino rings in the first place. But none of those were apparently what Changmin was thinking of sharing with Sunwoo as he came to sit down on the edge of the bed, looking Sunwoo square in the eyes as he suggested a game.

“You wanna play cheat?” Sunwoo couldn’t help the small tone of laughter in his throat at such a game.

“It’s the only game I know, well one that will help you understand anyway.” Changmin shrugged Sunwoo’s disbelief off with a small voice. Sunwoo sat up fully, groaning at his aching muscles from the night before; Changmin was fully dressed in pajamas as he straightened out the sheets of the bed as Sunwoo pulled them around his lap and made himself comfortable.

“Help me understand what?” He barely finished before Changmin jumped to explain.

“What to look for when you think I’m lying.” 

Sunwoo blinked silently until Changmin continued to talk, a small smirk growing on his face as he realized Sunwoo was pretty clueless still.

“I get the feeling you still don’t quite trust me.”

“That’s for sure.” Sunwoo managed an underhanded comment but it didn’t throw Changmin at all.

“So what better way to learn to trust me then to know if I’m lying?” Sunwoo didn’t have to think too much about it for it to make sense. If he could have asked Changmin honestly and figured out if he was telling the truth it would’ve saved a lot of trouble in the past. Knowing he could do just that in the future… Things would definitely be easier between them if he could rest assured Changmin wouldn’t always be the ticking time bomb Sunwoo had made him out to be.

The two of them sat opposite each other, Changmin dealing them each twenty cards between them, much more than Sunwoo was used to holding. He struggled to fit them in his hand as Changmin sifted through his own.

“Just remember what I’ve told you over the past couple of weeks. Look for small signs or changes in movements, twitching, pursing lips.” Changmin rolled off as he scanned over his cards. The first call in ‘cheat’ was to place aces down and then follow through the deck until they reached kings; the first player to rid themselves of all their cards was the winner.

Changmin picked up a card from his hand, before moving to hover over another card as he thought about whether to play it. He grabbed that card too before placing them both face down on the bed.

“Two aces.” He called.

“Cheat.”

Changmin raised an eyebrow up to Sunwoo as he did that.

With a small, annoyed sounding puff of breath, Changmin turned his cards over.  _ Two aces. _

“You didn’t even give me a chance-”

“You paused as you were deciding to play your second card! What was I supposed to think!” Sunwoo defended himself with a laugh in his throat. Changmin’s eyes flickered up to him before moving back down as he thrusted the cards out for Sunwoo to take. Which he begrudgingly did.

“Three aces.” Sunwoo announced, placing the two cards Changmin had just given to him back down, alongside one of his own. Changmin let him pass.

“One two.” Changmin placed a single card down. Sunwoo checked his hand to confirm that Changmin was telling the truth; he held the other three twos in his cards.

“Three twos.” Changmin didn’t even look up to Sunwoo to check his reaction, which irked him slightly. Was he really that confident Sunwoo wasn’t lying?”

“You’re not even gonna check me?”

“This game isn’t about you, it’s about me.” Changmin all but yawned at his egotism. Sunwoo pouted slightly, as once again Changmin refused to look up as he scanned his cards.

“This game is about figuring out my habits, and using your memory to remember what was played to see if I’m lying.”

“Then aren’t you at an advantage?” Sunwoo shifted to make himself more comfortable as Changmin’s fingers began to collect their cards.

“You’ve watched me long enough to know all my tricks and weaknesses. I don’t know anything about you.” He was honest about it. Changmin knew much more about him than he did about Changmin; how he worked, how he functioned in the casinos. Changmin almost knew how Sunwoo would react before he did anything, so he was definitely not on the same playing board as Changmin was right now.

“Yes.” Came the extremely simple answer from his lover. Changmin picked up two cards from his hand.

“Why do you think I’m not looking at you? Your secrets lie in your eyes, not your voice. If I can’t look at you then I don’t know if you’re lying. It equalizes the playing field.”

Sunwoo felt a little stunned that Changmin was trying so hard to get him to trust him.

“Two threes.”

The game continued, Sunwoo slowly learning what could tip him off to Changmin bluffing as he played against him. He watched the corners of his mouth, watched his head crick after each round. It was clear that Changmin saw through lies for a living because he was barely giving anything away; he didn’t flinch when Sunwoo called him out, getting lucky less than he wished as cards began to mount in his hand. He truly was guessing until suddenly something clicked.

“Four eights.” Sunwoo knew that was wrong, having the eight of clubs in his own hand. He immediately glanced up, catching the slightest falter in Changmin’s stature as he moved like there was a jump in his chest. It was subtle, barely more than a hiccup, but it was all Sunwoo had to go on right now.

“Cheat.” He called it confidently, even if the jump from his chest was a fluke, Sunwoo still knew Changmin was lying due to the fact he had an eight in his hand. Changmin huffed a chuckle through his nose.

“You got me.” He turned the cards over to reveal one eight and three random cards. Changmin took the pile in the center.

From then on Sunwoo focused on his body. For so long Sunwoo had focused on his face, on his expressions, how his eyes flickered before he made a move. It was a simple translation from poker players where you couldn’t see below the table for all of the game, therefore bodily triggers for bluffing were easy to hide if they weren’t in your hands. 

But of course, Changmin wasn’t a poker player. And he knew them well enough to have trained his expressions to be unreadable it seemed. But now Sunwoo seemed to have an inkling on what to do.

“Your chest twitches when you lie.” Sunwoo commented out loud as he roamed his hand for the next set of cards.

“Is that so?” Changmin seemed totally unfazed as he glanced up at him, clearly because he knew all along that eventually Sunwoo would get it. Sunwoo caught his eyes, yes they were unreadable but he liked to think there was a little bit of nervousness lingering behind them now.

“It’s like you’re trying to jump but you’re controlling it. Like your heart is thumping with adrenaline. I can tell you’re not a poker player.” 

“Like you haven’t known that all this time.” Changmin rolled his eyes.

“Well you might’ve been lying to me.” Sunwoo countered with a playful smirk. It was a simple gesture, a simple flicker which suddenly made him feel like Changmin had become more trustworthy. One couldn’t lie about their experience like that; it shone through even in a simple game like cheat. But good poker players couldn’t hide their greatness, even Sunwoo who, despite being young, definitely gave off an aura when he sat down at the table to play.

“Three nines.”

“Cheat.” Changmin smirked this time.

The game tossed back and forth, each of them almost ending up equal again until the cards tipped in the others favor. Changmin made no effort to overly still himself when it came to lying, and most times Sunwoo caught him on it. The game neared its end and Sunwoo held six cards as Changmin held four.

“I’m glad to know you’re not some stealthy poker player after all.” Sunwoo mused out loud as he continued to watch Changmin’s body language. It was Sunwoo’s turn, and he was growing more and more confident in Changmin’s telltale signs of lying that even every so often he allowed him to slip through the net and play a bluffing hand.

“Is that what you thought when you met me?” Changmin rolled his lips together as he looked over Sunwoo’s still naked frame. The sheet nestled at his lap, contorting over him perfectly as his tanned skin contrasted with the crystal white surrounding it.

“It was until you tried to steal my money.” He couldn’t help but laugh as if it was an old joke between them now. And sometimes it felt like it. How things had progressed from that night in the most unexpected ways; Changmin had proven himself but useful and a hindrance and many occasions. But now, even after what transpired last night, Changmin still seemed eager to try and prove himself to Sunwoo. That was something he could never fault him for.

“Are you going to hold that for my head for the rest of our lives?” Changmin chuckled lightly. Sunwoo reflected a little deeper on his words of choice. 

_ Our lives. Ride or die. _ Changmin had made the point many times that they were in this  _ until the end _ , whatever that meant. He figured for the most part it was a figure of speech. He knew Changmin by now that he knew he had a flare for the dramatics occasionally.

“I’m trying not to.” He answered honestly. He looked through his hand before picking up two queens and a seven. Eyes flickering to Changmin who didn’t even glance back at him.

“Three queens.” 

He saw the hesitation in Changmin as he tried not to look up. He knew he was lying but in order to confirm that he would like to have caught that fleeting glance of indecision Sunwoo so painstakingly gave away whenever he was about to bluff. 

Believe it or not, Sunwoo didn’t like to lie. He liked to rely on logic and predictions to aid his decision making, therefore eliminating the need to lie and give those obvious glances away.

Changmin didn’t call his bluff.

Instead he remained quiet. Musing over his cards as Sunwoo watched him with anticipation. The silence dragged on and Sunwoo felt pretty certain that Changmin thought he would call his bluff no matter what he was going to put down anyway.

“You didn’t exactly start off on the right foot if you wanted me to trust you.” Sunwoo filled the empty void. It was a lesson he had told Changmin at least a dozen times before, but still liked to remind me of just how generous he had been to even let them get this far in the first place.

“Well when my original plan failed I had no choice. Besides, I’m making up for it now, aren’t I?” Changmin’s fingers finally gathered up his cards. Scrunching the four of them together and tapping the edges until they neatly stack up behind one another, Sunwoo watched them with steady eyes.

“You’re doing your best, I can tell.” Sunwoo complimented. Changmin smiled at those words.

“Four kings.” Changmin’s voice didn’t shake an inch but Sunwoo was sure he was lying. Four kings, right on the brink of needing it, nobody was that lucky in any game. The pile of thirty something cards between them suddenly looked mighty fruitful as Sunwoo quickly began to think through the realistic chances of Changmin being left with four kings in his hand.

But he felt like he didn’t need the numbers to call this one out.

“Cheat.” He called confidently. A smug grin on his lips as Changmin jumped slightly. His faux deer eyed look made Sunwoo all the more confident that he had made the right call, as he once again confirmed in his mind that there was  _ no way _ Changmin had four kings right now. He must have gotten by on a lie before, slipping other cards out without being caught but he wasn’t about to do it this time.

“I think this has been a good exercise activity, don’t you?” Changmin seemingly stalled with some quirk to his voice. Sunwoo couldn’t tell if he sounded defeated or reserved. 

“It’s a shame we didn’t make it more interesting.” 

“Well what would you have had in mind?” Sunwoo replied, thinking that damn, if they would’ve made this interesting he could’ve been having a lot more fun now after he had won.

“A meal. Like, a real meal. Somewhere fancy where we have to dress up. I’m tired of only looking good at the bar, I want to dine like a prince for once.” 

“Don’t you mean a king?” Despite that being… totally not what Sunwoo had expected Changmin to say he still played along. Not like he was going to win anyway.

“No sweetie, that’s you.” Changmin lay out that familiar nickname, eyes connecting with Sunwoo in a flitting heat as he placed his cards face up between them for him to see. Sunwoo's cocky smirk dropped off his face.

Four kings.

_ And I have you in the palm of my hand. _

  
  
  



	16. Chapter 16

A few hours later they were back in the car. Sunwoo had tried his best to put the game of cheat they played to the back of his mind; it helped that Changmin wasn’t the type to remind him of his failures. In fact there were a lot of good qualities about Changmin that Sunwoo had decided to overlook until now. He was non judgemental, smart, a critical thinker. He at least appeared not to want to hurt Sunwoo  _ outside _ the bedroom and had his own ways of apologizing when he was wrong it seemed. It may have been the bare minimum to some, but to Sunwoo it meant a lot more now he was starting to see what Changmin was capable of.

And for that reason also, he still wasn’t sure if he could ever fully trust him.

“So where are we going?” Changmin asked. He was slumped down in the passenger seat, these days choosing to sit beside Sunwoo instead of in the rear like he was being chauffeured around.

“I don’t know.” Sunwoo sighed out. His eyebrows furrowing as he concentrated on the road. “It’s too early to try a big casino yet. I can’t trust you not to act up.” 

Those words has Changmin fidgeting in his seat, Sunwoo turning his head just enough to see what the fuck he was doing as he continued to drive, his eyes flickering back and forth to the road. Changmin turned towards his lover and reached a hand out to his arm.

“Look at me.” He soothed, his hand running down to lace his fingers over Sunwoo’s and peeling them from the wheel. Sunwoo let it happen, he only needed one hand to drive.

He pulled Sunwoo’s hand to his chest, instantly making Sunwoo crack his neck to look at him. His fingers splayed over Changmin’s chest, warmth radiating through his shirt as Changmin locked his palm against him to keep him there.

“Tell me if you think I’m lying; I promise. I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

Sunwoo remembered. He remembered just a few hours ago when he learned Changmin’s telltale signs, when Changmin’s chest jumped just those few centimeters. He still won the game in the end, Sunwoo put that down to his error of not keeping track better, and that’s all that mattered… Right? 

He felt nothing, no skip of Changmin’s heart beat, no jump of his ribcage as he continued to breathe steadily, eyes imploring Sunwoo to believe him.

His heart faltered.

“Okay.”

Changmin dropped Sunwoo’s hand, the driver immediately returning it to the wheel as Changmin once again made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

“Great, then let’s do Midas.”

Sunwoo almost slammed on the breaks.

“Midas? As in, the casino?” He was almost speechless. Changmin dropping the name of the most infamous casino in the city as if it were nothing. Midas was impenetrable to small fish players without years of experience. The house chewed up and spat out even the most confident of novices and put them back on the streets where they belonged; only holding onto the originally wealthy and most talented players in the tightest of grasps. The rewards were huge, but so were the losses. The air inside Midas seemed to push people to place high stakes almost shamelessly, it definitely wasn’t a place to go if you had any fear of losing.

“Yeah, do you know a different one?” Changmin practically scoffed. Sunwoo rolled his eyes at his demeanor.

“Listen, I used to go there a lot with clients. It was a favorite, big money, big winnings.” Changmin seemed to grow more and more enthused with every word off the tip of his tongue. Sunwoo felt his grip grow tighter on the wheel. Changmin looked back over to Sunwoo, hands gripping onto the edge of his seat to keep him steady as he leaned over slightly.

“Please Sunwoo, just take me there. I promise I’ll be good. Ride or die” He implored. Sunwoo felt his heart jump into his throat.

_ Ride or die. _

Those words twisting like a knife into Sunwoo’s chest as Changmin’s eyes implored him to listen.

“...Fine.” He gave in to Changmin’s pleas. He had no space to argue that wasn’t for his own cause. He was afraid to lose money but with that logic, he would never gain money either. And with Changmin by his side, proving to be an effective team together… What really did he have to lose?

Changmin leaned over, pressing a kiss to Sunwoo’s cheek as he kept his eyes on the road. Now knowing where their destination was, he took a u-turn at the earliest convenience and headed in that direction.

“Thank you, Sunwoo. You’re the best.”

* * *

The drive to the other side of the city wasn’t that long, however the traffic made it seem like it. Driving through city streets bothered Sunwoo to some extent, especially since he felt like he couldn’t turn the radio on since Changmin had fallen asleep. He was sunken down into his seat, head resting against the window with the seatbelt cradling his jaw and cheek. Sunwoo couldn’t help the few subtle glances over to him every once and awhile just to make sure he was still sleeping. He thought this Changmin was favorite; calm, peaceful, subdued. He loved Ji Changmin in many various forms too, but when he was resting it always felt like the calm before the storm; peaceful but underlined with anxiety that it could break at any moment.

The quietness gave him time to think. It gave him time to think about just a few hours ago when he lost a card game to Changmin. Him, Kim Sunwoo, a man who had trained himself over the past year to read players and count cards, lost to a man whose hobby was to stand at the sidelines and snipe at the fortunate and lucky.

The man who had these moments of almost insanity but then in the next breath was calm and composed. Who effortlessly blinded and guided Sunwoo into whatever he wanted while making it seem it was also exactly what Sunwoo wanted too.

He contemplated just how much or how little he actually knew about Changmin.

All this talk about clients and connections but Sunwoo had only experienced it passively. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Changmin, the man was gifted with enough charisma and charm that it was believable anyone could fall into his trap. 

_ Look at him, for example. _

It made him suspicious. Were there no survivors of Changmin after the storm had moved on? Sunwoo wanted his worries to run deeper, enough to tell him to end this silly game Changmin was making him play but every time Changmin uttered those infallible words to Sunwoo he felt every shred of autonomy in his body dissipate.

_ Ride or die. _

Sunwoo had never had anyone promise to be with him until the end before. Nobody who wanted to stick around for him; ‘til death do they part. It seemed so sincere when Changmin said those words, like he was asking him to trust him that even if everything went wrong he would still be there for him. 

Sunwoo gulped. 

Maybe it was time to experience things the way Changmin always wanted it to be.

* * *

Changmin still wasn’t awake by the time they arrived at the casino. Sunwoo nudged him gently, his limp body stiffening as he looked out the window. Sunwoo didn’t miss that smile growing on Changmin’s face when he realized Sunwoo had actually listened to him.

“We’re here.” Changmin muttered sleepily.

Collecting their bags from the car, the concierge at the hotel door assisted them with the luggage as they entered the building. 

Midas was everything Sunwoo had expected it to be.

Grandiose, lavish, imposing. Marble floors glittered with silver and gold swirls and slabs of ivory laced the open reception area which hosted many guests simply biding their time before entering the casino most likely.

The casino entrance lay to the right of the reception. The noise dimmed by the thick navy blue velvet studded doors with trails of silver thread wrapped between the folds. It made Sunwoo almost shiver, the anticipation of his senses being overwhelmed once he entered behind those doors. He had only dreamed of that moment up until now and yet here he was almost ready to take those steps.

He felt Changmin’s arm slowly wrap around his own, almost grounding him and bringing him back to his senses as they approached the check-in counter. The marble matched the floor, almost as if it had been carved out of it, the reception staff adorned with deep blue uniforms to match the subtle decor of everything else around the room. Nothing in Midas was made out of accidents. Every gruelling detail was precise and exact, giving Sunwoo the knowledge that the casino too would be a force to be reckoned with.

“Name?” The polite receptionist asked. Sunwoo handed over his pre-loaded credit card, letting the sleek black matte plastic speak for itself. Changmin requested a room on the right side of the hotel, clearly showcasing his knowledge that he had been here before and knew the best views or suites. Sunwoo didn’t bat an eyelid at him as they followed the concierge to the elevator and up towards their hotel room.

“I want you to get dressed up nice once we’re inside.” Sunwoo spoke out loud as they, plus the bellhop and the elevator attended, were the only ones in the vicinity.

“You’re going to go down tonight? Already?” Even Changmin would be so surprised at Sunwoo’s sudden boldness. Sunwoo laughed it off.

“I owe you that dinner.” The words didn’t instantly connect in Changmin’s mind with any meaning. Sunwoo smirked to himself as he turned to check Changmin’s expression. He lifted Changmin’s face up with his thumb and finger underneath his chin, the elder staying calm and quiet as Sunwoo seemed to inspect him. 

“Were you not tired of only looking good at the casino bar? Wanted to dine like a prince?” Finally Changmin realized what he meant.

* * *

It would’ve taken them less time to get ready if Changmin could’ve kept his hands to himself. Something about the thought of Sunwoo showing him off seemed to have him rowdier than ever and it took every fiber in Sunwoo’s body not to cancel the plans and spend the night in bed with him instead.

_ ‘Patience baby, you’ll get it tonight.’ _ He had to repeat it numerous times before Changmin finally got the point.

The restaurant was a ten minute taxi from Midas. Choosing to taxi because for once Sunwoo didn’t want to worry about having to jump in his car to whisk Changmin away from some problem he started in a bar, deciding to trust him enough to behave himself since he had promised to do so before. 

It felt… Real. Finally felt real. Something more certain and secure than jumping from hotel to motel and only ordering room service while trapped inside those temporary four walls. Sitting down with his lover in a real restaurant seemed to mellow out Changmin more than Sunwoo could’ve imagined. He behaved, engaged in deep conversation. Sunwoo got to learn so much about him that he never thought would be breached before Changmin was hurrying along in search of his next score.

_ ‘Let’s play twenty questions.’ Sunwoo had offered. Changmin arched an eyebrow at the childish game. _

_ ‘If you want to know some things, just tell me. I’ll be honest with you.’ _

_ ‘No, no. It’s more fun this way.’ Sunwoo insisted. Changmin dropped the fork from his mouth to oblige him. _

_ ‘Favorite color?’  _

_ ‘Sky blue.’ _

_ ‘What’s your blood type?’ _

_ ‘AB’ _

_ ‘Oh, that makes so much sense.’ Sunwoo underhandedly commented. Changmin pursed his lips before bursting out into laughter at him. _

“Do you want dessert?” Sunwoo cut the end of his own laughter as he watched Changmin with soft eyes. 

He had been so full of life, regaling his stories almost like they were a past life; disconnected in voice but alive with memories and details. Sunwoo learned how Changmin had gotten lucky with picking up an older gentleman at a bar one time, that’s how he got into the casinos.

_ ‘He wanted to show me off, like a little trinket wrapped around his arm. Wanted to show people he had money and looks on his side.’ _

_ ‘And did he?’ Sunwoo asked curiously. Changmin huffed out a degrading laugh at the notion. _

_ ‘Not at all, he lost his entire life’s savings in one night! Luckily there’s always many like him waiting around the corner.’ _

_ ‘Just like me?’ Sunwoo couldn’t hold back from saying. Even in the midst of his honesty Sunwoo didn’t quite fully believe Changmin. Changmin saw it. He reached a hand across the table to gently take Sunwoo’s in an act of reassurance. _

_ ‘Exactly the opposite of you.’ _

Changmin’s laughter simmered down into a chuckle as he declined the offer, coming to rest his chin on the back of his hands that were clasped under his face.

“Then I’ll call for the check.” Sunwoo raised his hand to signal a waiter over to their table. 

Changmin’s taste remained expensive, even in the food they ordered. The table was littered in appetizer plates, Changmin insisting he wanted to try a little bit of everything rather than stick to one main course. Sunwoo was always going to indulge him, even in the two bottles of red and white wine he had ordered to the table when Sunwoo excused himself to the bathroom.

The waiter confirmed they wanted the check and departed once more to receive the bill.

“Hey.” Changmin’s voice caught Sunwoo’s ear. A glint of mischief in it which made Sunwoo’s heart race a little faster in excitement.

“Let’s ditch.” Changmin leaned in a little closer as if to whisper. Sunwoo retracted his neck slightly in confusion.

“Why? We have the money-” He countered, it instantly earned a pained groan and sigh from Changmin which put a stop to his sentence.

“Do you never do anything for the thrill?” He rolled his eyes, Sunwoo suddenly felt like he was being challenged. 

Sunwoo always loved to rise to a challenge.

“It doesn’t matter if you can do it. What matters is knowing you did the opposite and got away with it.” 

Something clicked a little in Sunwoo’s mind. The insight into Changmin’s brain he had always been wanting to see.

“It’s exciting. The fear of getting caught but you know you won’t; the exhilarating rush of the chase. Like when you hold a royal flush and you still see those losers betting as if they can take you down. But you know they can’t; because you’re on top.” 

Changmin popped each syllable of the last three words he uttered. Something about them making Sunwoo stir in his seat and his mouth water. He was speaking his language more clearly now and something just so enthralling with how Changmin was looking at him was convincing him to give his side just a little taste.

Changmin’s eyes left his own, glancing over his shoulder at the waiter returning to the table.

Changmin lay his arm out across the table, palm facing upwards like a silent message for Sunwoo to take it.

And he did.

Making a run for the door, Sunwoo could barely make out the waiter calling for security from behind; his body narrowly missing the marked men at the entrance almost waiting for them. Changmin was like water, fluid in evasion as he pulled Sunwoo along with him until they reached the bustling streets and were drowned in the city lights once more.

Sunwoo found himself laughing, almost pausing for a break until Changmin pulled eagerly on his hand again to keep them moving. Sunwoo barely registered his words as the blood rushed to his head and filled the space behind his eardrums with a heavy pounding.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on [twt](https://twitter.com/connahquay) or leave me a [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/connahquay) if you want <3


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for the 3 weeks delay, my mind just said no to this entire chapter for some reason but I pushed through!  
> Once again, I don't beta my work so if there's any major mistakes just let me know in a comment or something <3

Sunwoo was no stranger to the rush of adrenaline. The heat that pumped through his veins; though that usually involved scaling some fence or breaking out of casino doors while being chased, not dining and dashing.

But with Changmin’s hand pulling him through the crowded streets it was freeing nevertheless. The subtle laughter between pants of breath escaping Changmin’s mouth as they fled, though thankfully it wasn’t for much longer as Changmin took a sharp turn into a narrow street and dragged Sunwoo around the corner with him, slamming the other up against the wall with a heavy thump which winded him as they waited out the chase until they were free once again.

He was a maniac, Sunwoo thought. The sheer joy on his face over something as petty as this; running away without paying the bill at an expensive restaurant. Changmin’s pupils were still dilated and the black flooded his eyes as he turned to take Sunwoo by the hand again, retreating down the street with laughter caught between heavy puffs of breath. Changmin was frighteningly beautiful.

They ended up in some no name bar, Changmin telling Sunwoo ‘now you can put that money to good use’ before ordering an entire bottle of whiskey for the two of them. Changmin never bothered to use a glass either, simply allowing the burning liquor to waterfall into his mouth and he swallowed it with no hesitation. Sunwoo had simply stared in awe until Changmin turned the bottle to him.

_ “Tilt your head back.” _

_ “No?” _

_ “Come on, just try it. It’s not gonna kill you.”  _

Spiced liquid became the only thing he could taste, even between Changmin’s lips, as they continued to drain the bottle dry.

And when Changmin was drunk, he was rowdy. His voice louder than ever, calling for Sunwoo to spend more, buy more, play with him more, pander to him more. Truly Sunwoo was a fool it seemed, because he answered every beck and call Changmin cried out to him more easily as the night progressed hour by hour.

“Watch this.” Changmin hummed under his breath as he lay down the second empty bottle of beer he had consumed for the night. 

Sunwoo watched with hazy vision, Changmin stood up using all of his strength to try and keep his gait straight; walking towards a supportive beam in the center of the bar with a table around it. Unguarded drinks littered the stand as two men near it had their backs turned on the quiet thief. Changmin inconspicuously scanned the area before picking up two bottles of barely touched beer before heading back to the table he shared with Sunwoo.

“I would’ve just bought you more-” It was barely an argument and more of an objection, to which Changmin shook his head and took a heavy gulp of his newly acquired drink.

“But where’s the fun in that?”

“Hey-” A voice called to them. Changmin didn’t flinch, draining half the bottle before even bothering to flicker his eyes up to him.

“Did you just steal my drink?” A much taller and broader man stood at the edge of their table, seemingly intimidating in his stance but Changmin couldn’t seem to care less. Sunwoo sighed a little as he placed his hands on the table.

“Just calm down-”

“Who the fuck are you? His sissy?” The guy barked back, and in an instant he had his fists balled up around Changmin’s collar.

“Hey!” Sunwoo found himself jumping up in a second, hands coming to push the guy away from his lover and somehow Changmin managed to wrangle himself free before he sustained any damage. 

The man’s attention turned squarely on to Sunwoo, lingering over him, but if many run-ins with authority in the past had taught Sunwoo it was that being swift and nimble was much more valuable than size and stature. 

The guy swung for him, narrowly missing Sunwoo who was maybe just a little too drunk for this kind of action. It didn’t stop Changmin from cheering him on however, Sunwoo hearing something along the lines of  _ ‘drinks all around’ _ as Changmin headed towards the bar.

The man's force carried him into the table behind Sunwoo, projecting himself almost across it with a heavy weight and sending him crashing down on various bottles and glasses the couple had littered on it. Sunwoo’s eyes scanned the area for Changmin to check if he was okay, and caught him climbing onto the bar with long, uncoordinated legs.

There was shouting and yelling, everything blending into one as Changmin continued to cheer over the noise. His feet swinging as he volleyed bottles of beer onto the ground, easily skipping over the plentiful hands trying to take him down. Sunwoo almost felt like the entire thing was a show and he got caught up watching Changmin as the main act.

The way he smiled, so happily and full of enthusiasm as he danced his way across the bar, arms erratic to avoid being grabbed by the bartender and the angry customers whom he was discarding the drinks of. This was the beauty of Changmin, Sunwoo realized in that moment, the ability to disregard everything in the moment and focus on the fun to be had at hand. Finding method in the madness.

A pair of hands on his shoulders awoke him from his daze. Too little too late for Sunwoo to escape it, he felt his head slip into the nook of the guy’s arm and his airway restrict as he began to squeeze. 

His hands fumbled; firstly at the man’s arms which were far too muscular for Sunwoo to pry off himself. His head for too far away to knock back and butt him, the angle too awkward to kick. Changmin caught sight of him momentarily but Sunwoo’s vision was quickly cut off as he began to look around and think of a way to get out of this.

His hands reached around, trying to find anything they could to free himself as he stumbled back slightly from lack of oxygen. Hitting the table he grabbed the only thing he could feel and quickly brought it to the guy’s head behind him. Hearing the glass shatter he closed his eyes, knowing it would splinter and possibly hurt him too.

The bar was in an uproar between the two of them. Gangs of men came down on them but by the time Sunwoo had gasped for much needed air and opened his eyes he felt Changmin’s hand on his own and pulled him away from the scene.

They made it five minutes of pure sprinting before they came to stop and rest. Sunwoo realized somewhere along the way Changmin had swiped another bottle of vodka from the bar, carrying it in his other hand as he led Sunwoo through the dark night streets.

“You’re crazy, you’re actually crazy,” Sunwoo gasped for his breath back. But it was stolen from him once more as Changmin cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss. It was filled with passion, as if it was the first and last kiss they would ever have. Sunwoo melted at the mix of hostility and softness Changmin pressed against his lips. The coldness of the bottleneck against his jaw had Sunwoo relaxing his mouth as Changmin kissed him deeper and to silence him before once again pulling him off into the night.

The way back to the hotel was long winded and confusing. The midnight streets empty of most people at this late hour made everything blend into one the more alcohol they continued to drink. Changmin swung his hand loosely in Sunwoo’s, twisting his body as he tried to stay on a straight track.

“Sunwoo,” He mused out loud “Do you ever do something just for the fun of it? No thinking you just do it?” 

Sunwoo half smirked in curiosity. 

“Like what?” 

“Like this.” Changmin paused in his steps. Tilting the bottle above his head once more he left the pure vodka hit the back of his throat as he hissed at the taste. Sunwoo continued to watch him as he then brought his vision in line with a parked car a few feet from them before kicking it squarely and setting the alarm off.

“What the fuck?” Sunwoo laughed in his deteriorating state. He didn’t know exactly why it was funny, but something about Changmin laughing it off caused him to laugh and the next thing Changmin was climbing on the hood of the car and balancing precariously on top of it.

“Get down,” Sunwoo chuckled, waving an arm weakly as a bid for Changmin to take it.

Changmin almost seemed to contemplate it, the car alarm distorting the quiet night air as Sunwoo watched him in utmost anticipation. Changmin must have sensed that Sunwoo didn’t really want him to get down as he pushed his heel into the window screen of the car.

“Only if you catch me.” He muttered.

It seemed the chase was on, Changmin jumped over the roof of the car. Sunwoo moved slow as alcohol filled his system, pressing his body against the parked vehicle as the alarm went off. Changmin ran down the edge, judging with the best perception that he could muster up before jumping onto the next car parked just behind it.

Sunwoo was laughing, he truly was. It felt like a childhood game, chasing a friend around the streets and trying to catch them. Every time Changmin turned back with a smile on his face as he slowed down to let Sunwoo get closer to catching him reminded Sunwoo just how crazy he was for Changmin. His unlimited passion for danger and excitement. Seeing Changmin’s shoes leave dents in cars without a care in the world, scratching the paint as Sunwoo knocked mirrors off with his clumsy attempts to reach him. 

The way Changmin danced on the roof of the damaged cars for him, like a private show, all for him. Changmin was all for him. His laughter, his craziness, his intelligent mind. Everything. Sunwoo’s. 

The way Changmin kissed him as if it was the end of the world, every time felt like fire and electricity mixed into one, and Sunwoo had no idea it was possible to feel this way until now. So free and untamed. He had spent so long learning to hide behind stoic expressions, that being too free got you caught out. Now Changmin was showing him the beauty of it. He was truly seeing it; this side of Changmin now. The side which tuned into his nature, allowed it to steer him, and not the other way around. Changmin was a force of nature when it came down to it; and Sunwoo was completely wrapped up in the enigma that was Changmin. 

As Sunwoo ran breathless Changmin reached out his hand. For a moment Sunwoo pondered what it meant until Changmin cleared that up for him.

“Join me.” 

And for once, Sunwoo didn’t need to be told twice. 

Changmin helped Sunwoo steadily onto the hood of the car. The weight of both of them setting the alarm off as they laughed, Changmin quickly jumped onto the roof of it and began to stomp and dance once more. Sunwoo watched him almost in awe; he was much more unhinged, much more beautiful up close.

Changmin held the last of the vodka bottle out to Sunwoo for him to take; he downed it in a single gulp, cursing under his breath as even after everything they had drunk tonight it still hit him hard in the chest.

“Break it,” Changmin called, he leaned down to almost sit on the roof of the car as he watched the cogs turn in Sunwoo’s mind as he thought about it. Changmin decided to interrupt that train of thought.

“No think, just do.”

Sunwoo took that advice. He joined Changmin on the roof of the car, forcing the boy to stand up and peer over him as Sunwoo lingered over the windshield. A rush of adrenaline from a different source was still adrenaline as he lifted his arm back, forcefully bringing it down into the window and letting go just shortly before receiving shattered glass into his hand. 

The crashing sound made Sunwoo shudder, the cracked glass of the pane fracturing as shards fell down onto the wipers. Changmin’s hand laced around Sunwoo’s neck, dragging him back into a deep kiss just briefly as he sighed against his lips.

“That’s why you’re different to me.” 

Sunwoo couldn’t remember getting back to the hotel after that. All he could remember was Changmin’s lips against his own as they both stumbled down the hallway to reach their hotel room, fumbling the card key against the door to unlock it as he pressed Changmin up against it.

Their lips disconnected only momentarily as they fell through the door, Changmin laughing almost sinisterly as he reclaimed Sunwoo’s mouth; tongue delving into the heat as Sunwoo kicked the door closed behind them. Everything was driving him crazy, every touch, taste, scent. Now he was seeing the appeal of this; of living to only your own rules. Changmin’s lack of caution wasn’t just about causing trouble it seemed; it was about freedom in the chaos. 

Sunwoo’s hands heavily roamed over Changmin’s body, earning groans of approval at his new found pace. Grasping at Changmin’s ass he forced him up into his arms, Changmin wrapped his legs around Sunwoo’s hips and allowed himself to be carried over to the bed.

“You were so crazy tonight.” Changmin practically gasped as his back met the bed. He picked himself up onto his elbows only to be devoured by Sunwoo again, the boy taking his place over Changmin and swallowing up his whines of frustration. The heavy petting had been continued since the hallway and both of them were growing tired of the constraints of their clothing.

“Is this what you wanted all along? For me to loosen up a little?” Sunwoo pulled his shirt off quickly, tossing it to the side before turning his attention to Changmin’s pants.

“You could say that.” Changmin shimmied his hips as Sunwoo removed the bottom half of his clothing. 

He pulled Changmin closer to him, arms wrapped around his legs as he moved back to kiss again. He made sure to press Changmin’s legs apart, letting his clothed cock press against Changmin’s naked lower half as Changmin moaned languidly into his mouth at the sensation. It felt good to be the one in control of the pace for once; Sunwoo usually was the one left speechless by Changmin and now it was his time to return it. 

He bit down on Changmin’s lip, sucking it into his mouth as the boy below him whined loudly and his hips bucked up to meet Sunwoo’s.

“ _ Harde _ _r_.” 

Sunwoo almost lost it.

He obliged, moving his lips down Changmin’s jaw, Changmin’s hands pushed on the small of Sunwoo’s back to get him moving, hips rocking against Changmin’s cock creating much needed friction. It made Sunwoo growl against the heat of Changmin’s skin, pressing his teeth into the flesh of his neck and biting down hard enough to cause Changmin to moan loudly. The noise encouraged him further, sucking against the skin to form marks before pushing further down onto his collarbone.

“God, you’re so good.” Sunwoo muttered against him, making Changmin roll his hips up to meet Sunwoo’s once again. Sunwoo used both of his hands to pull Changmin’s shirt up and over his head and discarded it. Now with more space to play with he continued his trail down Changmin’s body.

“If I’m so good, just hurry up and fuck me then.” 

Sunwoo glanced up; Changmin’s face was tinted red with a layer of sweat, eyes firmly locked on every movement Sunwoo was making and he felt Changmin’s legs come to wrap around his thighs in an attempt to pull him closer. Sunwoo smirked a kiss against his chest.

“It takes time to enjoy something as good as you.” His hands corralled under Changmin’s back, forcing him to arch up as Sunwoo took a nipple into his mouth. The deep sigh he earned from Changmin’s mouth made him bite down harder, turning the sigh into a hiss as he fought through the pain. 

He laced marks across Changmin’s body, alternating between heavy and light kisses in between as he worked his way down to Changmin’s cock. He paused just short of it, feeling Changmin’s hands follow up his back and delve into his hair; he was already roughly pulling on his locks needily as Sunwoo kept his hips from bucking him and reaching him.

“So needy for me, so pretty and desperate.” Sunwoo teased. Changmin keened to the sound of his hoarse voice, spurring Sunwoo on with a smile as Changmin dropped his head back.

“Didn’t you know it’s bad manners to play with your food before you eat it?” His grip grew tighter in Sunwoo’s hair causing him to hiss slightly at the grip. But Sunwoo could see he was still the one in control the most here.

Sunwoo just chuckled, parting Changmin’s thighs as he steadied himself lower with his mouth lingering dangerously close to Changmin’s cock.

It forced Changmin to look back down at the unfurling scene; catching Sunwoo lacing a finger into his mouth to coat it with spit before withdrawing to firmly press it against Changmin’s entrance. He gave a few slow strokes before pressing in, making Changmin’s breath falter as he hummed lowly.

If Sunwoo knew anything about Changmin by now, it was how his body works. How when he got impatient his moans would get cut short by heavy pants of worn out breath; how when Sunwoo hit the perfect spot his pitch would climb a little higher. One finger was never good enough, he knew that, but he purposely kept teasing Changmin for the time being as he felt his fingers strum through his hair. His tongue came to lap at Changmin’s cock tentatively.

“ _ Harder, please, more, _ ” Changmin whined. Sunwoo absentmindedly sped up at such a request. Changmin unfurled a hand from Sunwoo’s hair, bringing it to his own dick as Sunwoo pressed his lips to the other side of it. Changmin slowly stroked over his cock head, precum gathering at the tip was just almost too irresistible for Sunwoo to ignore.

He added another finger, the sudden discomfort making Changmin shift his hips slightly but Sunwoo captured his cock in his mouth in perfect timing to turn that groan into a lewd moan. Changmin’s fingers danced around Sunwoo’s thick lips as he swiped his tongue raggedly over the slit of his cock.

“Fuck, Sunwoo. So good,” His hand still laced in Sunwoo’s hair pulled tighter as he released his dick and allowed Sunwoo to take it all. Sunwoo hummed against his cock, hollowing his cheeks as he sunk down to the base and savored the feeling of Changmin hitting the back of his throat.

Changmin was magical, something about him made Sunwoo want to give him the world in any way he would ask for it. His precious moans like music to his ears as he watched Changmin’s expressions from below; Changmin rutted his hips up into Sunwoo’s mouth, almost breaking that concentrated stare and prompting Sunwoo into establishing a rhythm.

With little warning he began to fuck his fingers into Changmin heavily. Knuckles pounding against Changmin’s ass, making him cry out and grip the sheets and Sunwoo’s hair with force. Sunwoo felt his mind become dizzy from the combination of Changmin’s sweet sounds and the lack of oxygen from his dick in his throat. But still he wasn’t willing to slow down any time soon.

His tongue dragged over Changmin’s cock, feeling legs try to clamp closed around his shoulders as he forcefully fingered into Changmin. His cries broke into almost sobs as Sunwoo moved to suck harshly on the tip of Changmin’s cock, stimulating him roughly and almost to the point of breaking as Changmin tried his best to wriggle away.

“God, fuck, please- Sunwoo- stop-” The intensity caused Changmin to break finally, and immediately Sunwoo popped his thick lips off of Changmin’s swollen cock. The relief was almost instant; his fingers freezing in movement as he let Changmin catch his breath. Sunwoo lifted himself slightly to get a better sight of Changmin who was clutching at the bed sheets by his head as he looked down himself and towards Sunwoo.

No words needed to be spoken to allow what happened next. Sunwoo launched himself forward, capturing Changmin’s lips with his own once more in a heavy kiss, knocking the newly found breath from Changmin who graciously returned the passion with his own. Sunwoo’s body lay over Changmin’s naked form, pants dragging against Changin’s cock as Changmin wrapped his legs around Sunwoo’s hips for more.

In the midst of the kiss Changmin’s hands wandered down to pull at Sunwoo’s pants. Barely assisted by the other who only slightly pulled back to allow Changmin to pull them down to his thighs, unable to do anymore due to the awkwardness of the angle. But it didn’t matter to either of them. Sunwoo broke the kiss, Changmin’s lips immediately finding his ear as he nibbled on his ear lobe, making Sunwoo’s head spin as he reached down to guide his cock towards Changmin’s ass.

The moment he felt lined up enough he pulled his hands back to claim Changmin’s with them. Linking them over his head as he slowly pushed in, the satisfying stretch around his cock was only amplified by the way Changmin’s eyes rolled back as he bit down on his lower lip.

“Fuck,” 

“Yeah, you like that?” Sunwoo murmured between the small space between them. Changmin tightened his hands around Sunwoo’s grasp, nails digging into him slightly as Sunwoo took his sweet time bottoming out.

“Fuck, you feel so good. Like you were made for me.” Sunwoo praised, and with a quick snap of his hips all Changmin could do was whine back in a hiccup.

He wasted no time in speeding up, hips snapping against Changmin’s ass as their bodies lay together; flushed chests rising and falling as Sunwoo’s face hung precariously above Changmin’s. He drank in all of his features; how his eyebrows ruffled together with every slap of skin against skin, how he was desperately trying to hold in his moans which resulted in needy whines from his throat. He looked beautiful below Sunwoo, so perfect and all his. Sunwoo’s breaths were already becoming ragged as he fucked into him deeply, rolling his hips as Changmin’s heels pressed against him begging for more.

“You’re so amazing.” Sunwoo sank his head into the crevice of Changmin’s neck. Their hands unlinking allowed Sunwoo to grip underneath Changmin’s shoulders, almost forcing Changmin onto his cock harder as he groaned at how tight and deep he could feel him. Changmin’s nails sunk into various parts of Sunwoo’s back as his hands roamed his body.

“Fuck, I love you.” He pressed chaste kisses into flushed skin, making Changmin moan almost in delirium at those words.

“Even when I’m crazy?” Changmin hummed into Sunwoo’s ear. The words fluttered almost innocently that Sunwoo was taken aback by them. Sunwoo pulled back, stopping in his tracks for a moment and catching an unreadable glint of something in Changmin’s eyes that he assumed could only be uncertainty. 

He huffed out a breath of air, moving a hand to wipe away the sweat soaked strands of hair off of Changmin’s forehead as he answered. 

“Especially when you’re crazy.”

In a heartbeat Sunwoo felt Changmin’s lips on his. The overwhelming sensation made his heart swell and almost burst as he hummed a lost moan into Changmin’s mouth. He almost forgot they were fucking for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of Changmin’s body against his, their limbs entwined as tongues were lost in each other’s mouths. Changmin slowly pushed his hips up as a reminder of the task at hand. Sunwoo groaned as the kiss was broken.

“Then fuck me like it.” 

The whisper against Sunwoo’s lips snapped him back into reality. Smirking down to his lover he immediately picked up the pace once more. Snapping his hips harshly into Changmin, fucking him fast and deep. Changmin’s whines grew louder as Sunwoo wrapped one hand around Changmin’s shoulder lightly and the other through his hair.

“God, I love you. I love you so much.” He found himself repeating over and over again. The emotional words worked almost like an aphrodisiac; driving him towards his orgasm, feeling the coil in his stomach grow tighter and tighter. 

It seemed to be working for Changmin too, the boy's body began to writhe uncontrollably below him, words lost in the sounds of uncontainable moans and cries. 

“Fuck Sunwoo, yes, right there-” Changmin’s hands coursed down Sunwoo’s back, encouraging him to keep fucking him deeply as he arched his hips up to meet him.

“You’re so good. So good to me Changmin, fuck-” He felt himself even closer to the edge, Changmin so tight around him that Sunwoo swore if he would’ve closed his eyes he would’ve seen stars. He dropped his head back into Changmin’s shoulder. Hot, heavy breath against Changmin’s ear made him moan loudly as he tore streaks of red down Sunwoo’s back with his nails. The pain pushed Sunwoo to snap into his harder, both of them losing their breath as Changmin came so close to coming.

“You’re irreplaceable.” Sunwoo muttered into his ear. He pressed a kiss into the shell, and that was enough to send Changmin’s body collapsing in a shaking, heavy slump as he came over his stomach. 

The tightness of Changmin’s orgasm around Sunwoo’s cock had him groaning almost like he was in pain. He picked himself up just slightly, looking down at the beautiful mess Changmin had made on himself as he lay there breathless in the bliss of his orgasm. His expressions were worn out and tired. In a few stutters of his own breath and hips Sunwoo was coming inside of Changmin too, earning a mewl of a moan from Changmin at the feeling of being filled up. The heat cascaded around Sunwoo’s dick as he stilled his movements, pulling out shortly after which caused Changmin to gasp in satisfaction. 

Sunwoo remained over Changmin’s frame. Moving to pepper quick kisses to the bruises left on his neck and chest, catching his breath back as he could practically feel the beat of Changmin’s heart through his chest. Arms wrapped around his body, encasing him warmly as they lay in silence after such a crazy and eye-opening night.


	18. Chapter 18

Sunwoo woke up to the sound of the shower running. Quiet trickling stirring in his brain until he came to his senses. The bed cooling on the side Changmin had just left, Sunwoo stretched his arms above his head and let his eyes slowly come around to the light in the room.

Midas was grandeur. A navy blue theme imprinted against the pristine white walls. Grey and white marbling coated the finishings of the table and handles of every door, alongside the satin curtains, and pure cotton bedsheets which he lay in. It felt surreal to be here in general; in the most renowned casino in the city, nevertheless with somebody willing to be at his side the whole time. When Sunwoo thought back to a mere month and a half ago he never would have envisioned his lone wolf persona would have fallen apart so quickly.

The sounds from the shower ground to a halt and not much longer after Changmin emerged from the steam soaked room. His hair still damp, dripping slightly onto the smooth and comfortable guest robe he adorned around his body. He looked down to Sunwoo silently as the boy in the bed finally sat up. The two of them were just as comfortable in silence as they were exchanging words with each other; another thing Sunwoo never thought he would ever find himself adhering too in such a way before.

“Sleep well?” Changmin broke that silence. Sunwoo groaned into a stretch as Changmin came to join him as he sat at the end of the bed.

“Yeah, definitely.” 

“These sheets are Egyptian cotton, literally the best I’ve never slept in.” Changmin added.

Sunwoo was no connoisseur of fancy hotels or the thread count of the sheets he lay on and apparently Changmin wanted to remind him of that. This was his domain, he knew how things worked here. Sunwoo wasn’t far off feeling like a meal ticket once more, he needed to reign things in, back to his favor.

“So how do you want to do this?” His question seemed to confuse Changmin who simply arched his eyebrow towards his lover. Sunwoo took the chance to shift his weight forward until he sat slightly closer to Changmin.

“Are there any tips and tricks about the tables here? You said you came here a lot in the past.” 

Changmin’s lips softened into a smile as he thought.

“Our strategy will be the same. I’ll go down first and you follow an hour after.” Changmin hummed as his fingers pulled on the tie around his robe.

“Maybe thirty minutes, I doubt things have changed much since the last time I was at this place.”

“And the back rooms,” Sunwoo didn’t even make it sound like a question; that was exactly what they were here for. He had to keep focused, because not only did he have the house to win over, there was Changmin watching him too.

He felt an odd pressure, something about Midas made him feel inadequate and in the same breath he didn’t want Changmin to notice that either. He gulped a little harder than he wanted to, his mind already expanding through every possibility of what they could do in order to get to where the real money was… And what could go wrong for them.

“I’m not going to pull any stunts, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Changmin soothed Sunwoo and suddenly the boy was looking up in surprise at him. 

Changmin’s features were soft; they always were after he got out of the shower, something about fluffy bathrobes made him seem almost innocent. Sunwoo already knew that looks could be deceiving but as Changmin peered over to him from underneath his long lashes Sunwoo’s heart couldn’t help but falter once again.

“We’ll do it your way. Play table by table, work our way up.” Changmin stood up, Sunwoo’s eyes latched onto him as he listened to Changmin’s explanation, feeling assured that there were no dodgy methods involved this time in such a well known casino. He feared if they were run out of Midas then it would mean the end of Sunwoo’s game as he knew it. 

And the end of him and Changmin, too.

Changmin stood before the dresser, looking for something to dry his hair with. “I saw my clients enter the back rooms with a golden coin, I think that’s what we need to get in.” 

“And we’re going to do this my way?” Sunwoo wanted to double check, almost like he was in disbelief that Changmin was going to try and be patient again, considering how well that had turned out in the past for them.

He turned back to Sunwoo, seeing the flicker of doubt in his eyes; Changmin was always good at reading Sunwoo even if he didn’t tell him. He took a few steps back towards Sunwoo.

“Of course baby,” He cupped his face gently as soon as he was in reaching distance, soft hands quelling the worries inside Sunwoo just a little more. He didn’t think they would all ever melt away, not when it came to Changmin.

“Can I just ask one, small favor while we’re here?” 

Sunwoo gulped. There was always a catch with Changmin, it seemed.

“What is it?”

“I want to visit an old client.”

* * *

It wasn’t exactly the catch Sunwoo had been expecting, but surprising nonetheless. For the time he had known Changmin, Sunwoo had only ever heard insight of Changmin’s almost past life; and now Changmin was taking him straight to the door of an ex-client of his. It was safe to say that Sunwoo felt nervous. 

There were plenty of reasons Sunwoo had never particularly asked about Changmin’s ‘clients’. For one, well, he thought it was rude; although Changmin had never been shy in sharing details in any other part of his life, the most Sunwoo knew about Changmin’s clients was that they were rich poker players who liked to show him off in exchange for his company. 

And for two, for a man who loved to stack himself up against heavy competition, Sunwoo was surprisingly worried he wouldn’t mount up to whoever Changmin had to deal with in the past. That they would be brighter, more powerful, less of a challenge for Changmin. Somebody who Changmin could push around with no worry that they would fight back; that definitely wasn't Sunwoo and often Sunwoo wondered why Changmin chose to stick around him if it wasn't for convenience. 

They took the elevator down to the second floor, directly above the casino on the first floor and already Sunwoo could sense the change in the atmosphere around him. The hallways seemed more empty, far more space lay between the doors of the hotel rooms and it had Sunwoo wondering just how big the inside of them were, and also how much they would cost.

He saw the change in Changmin, too. The boy had made them both don stylish clothes, insisting that his client wouldn’t be too best pleased if he turned up looking like he just arrived off the streets. Changmin certainly played his part seriously when it came to pleasing his clients, it seemed as he rolled off a few key details about the lady they were about to pay a visit in just a few moments' time.

“She's the widow of some professional sommelier.” Sunwoo simply blinked at the sentence, having no idea what it meant.

“He tasted wine for a living. Too bad he often took his work home with him too, guess no amount of antioxidants could save him from liver failure.” Changmin half snickered to himself as Sunwoo continued to stare on.

He hadn’t seen this lady in over a month yet he still recalled so many details about her so clearly and with zeal. Sunwoo knew just how good he was at such things, with himself being another example but still something about how Changmin regaled about her had his nerves rising and causing pressure inside of his chest.

Changmin knocked on the door three times for good measure before turning to check on Sunwoo one last time.

“Oh, and just a warning; she’s big on pet names. Pet names and men half her age.” He muttered just in time to catch the door swinging open to them.

“Oh, sweetheart!”

“Sunshine,” Changmin rang back. The sickly nicknames catching Sunwoo off guard as he watched the both of them suddenly revert to a state which reminded him of childhood sweethearts.

The woman was in her forties, at least. Silver hairs threaded through the gentle waves her hair was styled in, ears and neck graced with dazzling jewelry. She leaned forward to kiss Changmin tenderly on the cheek and Changmin’s smile didn’t flinch in the slightest. Her smile beamed brightly like Changmin was her long lost love, and Changmin drank it all in with enthusiasm. It was all too easy to see just how much he enjoyed this.

Sunwoo couldn’t help but feel the strings of jealousy pull at the lining of his stomach. Even though he knew it was largely for show, some part of him couldn’t push past the fact that this sort of thing was what Changmin was best at. Sure he was a keen eye on the tables, but Sunwoo was beginning to see how he got there in the first place. With sheer poise and charisma.

“And you brought a friend? He’s so precious.” Finally her attention was turned to Sunwoo who almost jumped at the sudden attention.

Her eyes almost ate him up, and despite being twice his age, Sunwoo was sure that she could absolutely do it if she wanted to. They were dark brown, almost verging on black and Sunwoo took that as a sign that she was definitely thrilled to see two young men standing before her boudoir. He stared back blankly, not sure what to say in such a situation; despite being in a casino, this was definitely not his domain anymore.

“Is he for me?” Her voice turned almost naive as she looked back to Changmin, who simply chuckled politely at her question.

“Maybe we can arrange that later, dear.” He winked.

Without much further talk they somehow ended up in her room. Rooms on the lower floor somehow seemed like apartments to Sunwoo; egg shell coated walls separated a large bedroom area from a dining room and lounge; a long, slender ebony table held a centerpiece of fancy white and grey speckled flowers that Sunwoo couldn’t begin to name. Sunwoo walked around it, dragging his finger along the side as he casually inspected the place.

“How has my favorite girl been?” Changmin swooned as he walked past. He was practically being ushered towards the plush, navy blue sofa which hovered near a large flat screen TV. As the two engaged in conversation Sunwoo did his best to drown out the sound of their voices.

This place… It was beyond anything Sunwoo had ever hoped, or even dared to dream about staying in. Even habitating in Midas seemed outlandish until Changmin coaxed him into coming here. The room they could afford with what little Sunwoo managed to scrounge up in the smaller rings, while it provided for every basic necessity they needed in a lavish way, this part of the hotel above the casino was opulent and luxurious on a whole new level. 

His ears caught the laughter of the women, prompting Sunwoo to look over as she slapped a hand down onto Changmin’s lap as she slid close to him. He was so comfortable, so cool and composed. Being in the lap of luxury was where he truly belonged, it seemed.

“Have you been keeping well, my dear? You look almost starved!” She practically gasped. It felt like a punch to Sunwoo’s stomach. Had he not been taking care of Changmin adequately? Did he really look that different to when she had last seen him?

“Don’t worry about me, you know I have the metabolism of a young boy.”

“And much more, dear.” She giggled.

His eyes fell to the floor, making their way through the diamond patterns imprinted into the marble before reaching the golden insignia which coated the walls. The room had a whole kitchen to match the rest of it, and even one of those old fashioned dumbwaiters next to the refrigerator just in case you never wanted to cook. Every need was fulfilled beyond desire, without a detail to be spared.

He felt almost guilty.

Guilty that he couldn’t provide this level of living to the one that he really loved.

Almost ten minutes passed by of Sunwoo aimlessly wandering in the background as they both talked. Changmin had told the women of his name, and she had promptly asked for the three of them to attend dinner sometime together- to which Changmin promptly replied with a deflective, undecided answer. Sunwoo had had time to wallow in his agony; the unattainable goals of his mind that he had only just begun to think about upon entering this room.

For so long he had wanted a simple life; some pleasant abode in a warm place where he could make money from doing the one thing he was best at. That wasn’t to say Changmin didn’t align with those goals or values either, but the longer he spent in the lap of luxury the more he felt like Changmin was close to slipping away from him in favor of somebody who could give him more, effortlessly.

“You’re going so soon?” She called, and Sunwoo turned around once more to watch the scene before him.

As Changmin stood up, the woman quickly followed. His smile never fractured for even a moment; so loving, so kind. He truly looked happy, even if a large part of this was some sort of game to Changmin, Sunwoo could only guess his reason to visit in the first place was because he missed her.

“It was just a quick visit, to see how my favorite girl was.” He cooed, her hands came to reach for Changmin’s, pulling him a smidge closer as he grinned down to her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Sunwoo felt disdain curdle in his stomach. 

Not at them; but himself.

He wasn’t worthy of Changmin, he couldn’t bring him the excitement he craved, or the money to fund his lifestyle. No matter how much Changmin had been trying to push him into just that. Was he being selfish? Changmin would probably find some new arm candy in the casino and eventually leave him anyway, Sunwoo supposed he could just try to have his fun while the time lasted. That could work, right?

“But you’ll come back, right? With your little friend?” Her eyes met Sunwoo’s sullen ones, he almost wanted to look away but as Changmin also locked his eyes on him he felt like he couldn’t. 

Changmin smiled politely down to her once more.

“I’ll see what I can do, sweetheart.”

And with some resistance from the tenant they somehow managed to head back up to their room. Changmin loosely smelling like expensive perfume; floral and vintage as he buttoned the top button of his shirt closed once more. Sunwoo had no idea when that happened, but he could hardly be surprised that she couldn’t keep her hands off of his lover at all.

Changmin was irreplaceable. Spontaneous, awe inducing; he made people feel alive and gregarious, like being alone without him was the worst thing in the world and for that reason you never wanted him to leave your side.

Sunwoo was wrapped around his little finger, for sure. But he worried that his grip on Changmin was slipping quite a bit.

“Are you okay?” Changmin asked him once they got back to the room. Sunwoo had been in a slight state of vacancy since they left the lady’s hotel room. His eyes shifted to the satin curtains which now seemed to have lost their glimmer and appeal.

He worried that he was now displaying himself in the same way.

“Yeah.” 

But of course Changmin didn’t believe him.

“You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“Did you miss all of this? That’s why you wanted to come back here?” Sunwoo finally broke it to him. He couldn’t hide the feelings of his inadequacy any longer. Changmin seemed genuinely surprised by it.

“Where did that come from-”

“You’re so used to having people dote on you, lavish you with money and an expensive lifestyle. I’m not sure if I can give that to you.” Sunwoo felt his blood slightly boil; was he really trying to seek pity here? That’s what it felt like to himself. Teetering on the edge of self-loathing, making Changmin feel sorry for him and tell him it would all be okay; that was far from his idea of verbalizing his thoughts but it certainly could have been interpreted that way.

Changmin silently approached him, though it wasn’t enough for Sunwoo to drag his eyes off of the floor to meet him. He ran his hands over Sunwoo’s jaw in an attempt to pick him up, but to no avail. Sunwoo seemed dead set in sulking to the time being and Changmin’s eyebrows knitted together in a glimmer of frustration.

“If I wanted to sit in the lap of luxury, I wouldn’t have followed you to all those shoddy places now, would I?” He soothed. Sunwoo felt his chest implode slightly at that realization.

He finally looked up. Changmin’s eyes were a little darker than anticipated, almost like he was getting a thrill from seeing Sunwoo beat himself up over not being able to provide for him properly but they were also smeared with consolation. It wasn’t enough to give Sunwoo the relief that he desired though.

“I just want to be the reason you feel good.” He admitted with a break in his voice. Changmin’s lips twitched into a smile as he pressed a kiss to the corner of Sunwoo’s mouth.

“You do make me feel good, baby.” It took a second for Sunwoo’s will to concede to Changmin’s. Tilting his head to the side in hopes of kissing Changmin properly, however the other boy had different plans in mind as he swept his lips away to kiss the corner of his lips once more in a teasing manner before lowering his kiss down to Sunwoo’s jaw.

“And I reassure you.” Changmin’s tongue lapped softly over Sunwoo’s skin, causing a small whimper to emanate from Sunwoo’s throat as he felt himself become hot at words of affirmation Changmin was lacing against his neck.

Changmin’s hands slowly busied themselves with Sunwoo’s body, pushing down his clothed abs and hooking directly onto Sunwoo’s pants as he pulled his body against his own with a small mutter of a moan under his breath.

“Right now, there’s no other place I’d rather be.”

Sunwoo felt himself become dizzy. Oxygen seeping out of his lungs to barely be replaced, feeling Changmin hum against his neck as his hands blindly worked on unbuckling his pants. It was the one way Changmin knew how to make Sunwoo feel needed.

As Changmin slowly dropped down to his knees, Sunwoo’s hand came to take its rightful place in his long hair. “Really?”

Changmin tilted his chin up, sultry eyes already so dark and needy; yes that’s exactly what Sunwoo needed to make him feel worthwhile.

“Really.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i'm so sorry about the month wait. My brain said no to writing about poker and well... this chapter is poker heavy lmao. I'll try to update more frequently soon! There's about 6 chapters left! With the biggest yet to come.

The lonely elevator ride down made things surreal for Sunwoo.

He had gotten used to high stakes. He had gotten used to betting more than his mind advised him. He had even gotten used to ignoring the statistical odds of his hand in favor of Changmin’s keen observation instead. But that was the problem; he had gotten used to Changmin. 

This man who had tried to steal from him had now become his greatest asset. Somebody who had proven, time and time again, their value and worth. Now it was Sunwoo who was left feeling worthless. 

Something about Midas made him feel so small. Something about how Changmin was so comfortable here contributed towards that, too. He didn’t like it. Sunwoo felt the need to prove himself all over again. Not just to himself, but Changmin also.

If this was where he wanted to be, Sunwoo would make sure they would stay here.

But it didn’t matter what casino they played in; routine became routine. Changmin descended first, making his way around the tables, picking up on the subtle cues and hints of players lying that would help Sunwoo ultimately win. Sunwoo gave him half an hour before we joined him. Once he arrived at the casino, Changmin was already placed at a table, watching as Sunwoo waited for a moment to slot himself in and place his first bet.

They exchanged a silent greeting. The dealer handed Sunwoo two cards.

He took a deep breath before looking at them, steadying his nerves and his hands. Playing in Midas felt different. Sunwoo was used to the sounds around him; he was used to the stares and dismissive looks from other players. But somehow, it all felt different here. 

_ Queen of Hearts and Three of Diamonds. _

Shit. 

Sunwoo rolled his eyes at his cards. He didn’t even need to look at Changmin to know his next move. He folded quickly, glancing to Changmin as some form of apology as the corners of his lips drooped down. In the opening seconds came the first loss of the night.

It was going to be difficult.

The money was better, but that meant paying more to participate. A large ante to set the pace; in some places, the entire pot equaled the first round of bets at Midas. Sunwoo was going to need to be more aggressive.

He waited for the round to end before placing his next bet. Throwing a couple more chips into the center, the dealer handed him his next set of cards.

_ Four of spades, six of diamonds. _

That was something he could work with. A straight, four of a kind if he was lucky, a solid hand. He rolled his lips together as the game began, placing another bet into the center as a player to the left of him raised their bet. Things seemed to be going at a much quicker pace here, Sunwoo barely felt like he had a second to spare a glance to Changmin.

The player on his right folded. So did another, and another, until there were only four of them left on the first turn. Sunwoo felt nervous. He felt like they knew something that he didn’t like he was missing a trick. They couldn’t possibly be using the same tricks as him, could they? Homing in on his weaknesses, having another pair of eyes on him. It made him freeze.

Folding minimized the money Sunwoo could win from the table by a staggering amount. He felt like he couldn’t do this alone. His eyes finally flickered to Changmin.

Changmin was calm. It made Sunwoo’s bubbling indigestion simmer as he gulped it down. Sunwoo checked the dealer as he made the first call.

_ Five of Hearts, Jack of Spades, Three of Hearts. _

With three on the table, his odds were thirty-five percent. Beginner’s luck, he thought. He knew better than to get excited after the first draw. A flicker of Changmin’s wrist caught his eye.

A quick flicker of his eyes and a hand rubbing over his wrist. Sunwoo knew to check the player he glanced to get any signs of bluffing, and he was right to do so. The man clad in a tacky white suit and bowler hat to cover his bald spot. His wrist shone with a vibrant gold-plated watch, which his fingers twitched around nervously. Sunwoo had got them. 

With only two others left to worry about, he felt more assured. Changmin sipped a drink he had picked up from the bar before Sunwoo had gotten there, a cherry topping whatever hard liquor he was having. Sunwoo called for a raise as he threw more chips into the center.

“Fold,” The tacky-suit man threw his cards into the ring. It took everything in Sunwoo not to break into a smug smile.

Two left. His odds increased.

“Raise,” another player said. Sunwoo kept a stiff upper lip. Since Changmin had made him aware of his own telltale signs during that fateful game of cheat, Sunwoo did his best to keep his head down. Extended eye contact raised the risks of being caught bluffing. But overcompensating during confident rounds had the same effect. He had to keep everything level, make every round appear the same to not let them know when he did have the upper hand.

The player to his left called, leaving Sunwoo no option but to do the same. The dealer laid out the next card.

_ Six of Clubs. _

Shit, that is not what he wanted. Though overall his odds remained the same as he reevaluated his outs, he had a sinking feeling that the flush wouldn’t come his way. 

Counting outs was never foolproof. Somebody could always have a better hand than you, even if the odds were stacked in your favor. He felt himself become frustrated and annoyed. At the end of the day, he was still a rookie; somebody who had barely been playing for the best part of a year, playing against people who had been in this game for decades in some cases. 

Before he knew it, it was his turn to bet again. He called to check once more, checking Changmin’s reaction before that of his opponents. 

Changmin was staring at the pot. Like he was calculating the chips and their worth. Once he felt Sunwoo’s eyes burrowing into him, he glanced back. Quickly analyzing the status of his opponents before giving Sunwoo the information he wanted.

Sunwoo wasn’t the only one brimming with confidence, it seemed.

The unassuming lady who was raising every turn seemed to know what she was doing. Her style was aggressive, assertive. Players like her often bluffed their way heavily in all their hands and played big to win big. Sunwoo hated that style, but here it seemed to be the best way to win a hand.

She called to check also, and finally, the last card was turned over.

“King of Spades.” 

Fuck. Sunwoo’s thirty-five percent advantage dropped to five as the dealer called for the other players to reveal first. Sunwoo tossed his cards over- a pair of sixes. The bold woman laughed almost bitterly and she swept in her winnings.

Sunwoo was left reeling over whether or not he should change his strategy for the next round.

A big win meant they pulled more people to the table. Their eyes like hawks, watching his every move. The difficulty playing as a team became more apparent when more eyes were on him; any glance spared to Changmin had to be quick enough not to arouse suspicion. 

He ante’d in again, throwing a large sum of chips into the center. His confidence was brimming, and obviously so, as the dealer passed him two more cards and he checked them quickly.

_ Ten and Jack of Diamonds. _

Fucking jackpot.

He hid his smirk. Letting the other players have even a whiff of this hand would ultimately end in this round ending quickly. He saw it as his chance to wipe the table clean. Another glance at Changmin let him know that.

“Call,” He said. He matched the bet of the previous player as the one to his left folded. A couple of seconds later the round was complete with all but one left in play, the dealer revealed three cards.

_ Eight of Diamonds, Five of Clubs, Queen of Hearts. _

The Queen of hearts made his stomach sink. His chance for a royal flush out of the window, but those were rare in poker anyway. The crowd around him began to talk about odds and hands. Sunwoo tuned them out as his eyes made their rounds on his competition. 

The wrist twitcher was stagnant, the gum chewer was chewing. If this was any other hand, Sunwoo would be in the right mind to fold based on their mannerisms. But he knew that he had the upper hand.

“Raise,” the figure to his side called. 

“Raise.” 

“Raise.”

Sunwoo felt his blood pressure hit the roof.

What the fuck were they raising for? It took everything in him not to nervously tap his thumb against his cards. He trained his eyes steadily forward, not even blinking as his turn finally came around.

“Check.” He mumbled. Fuck, now he was worried that it made him seem too confident. Or lacking. It was hard to read the room with so many people gathered around the table. The pressure was real.

Another fold came, and then another. Six of them remained in play and not a single one of them was giving anything away.

But he remained confident. 

When he looked up to check on Changmin, he stiffened a bit. 

Certainly, the man to Changmin’s side wasn’t a spectator. His posture was too formal, his expression too poised. If Sunwoo could’ve spared a second to stare longer, he would’ve noticed the tiny microphone situated on the man’s tie. Security guards had their unmistakable markings in every casino. 

He sought it best to finish the round on his own after that.

The next card down: Nine of Spades.

Bingo, there he had it. With one left unturned, Sunwoo knew he had secured the round. It was time to play the long game, in hopes of pulling more money out of his opponents; but another folded and Sunwoo cursed himself for being unaggressive. 

He decided he needed to take a risk. 

“Raise.” He pushed more chips into the center, making the crowd hum in confusion at his motives.

He looked at the other player; they seemed unfazed by his actions. The players in Midas were used to big winnings and even bigger losses; so it seemed like the way forward for Sunwoo was that simple: Play like them.

“I see your bet.” They called to him, pushing the same amount of chips into the center as Sunwoo had. The last card was revealed, but it didn’t matter to Sunwoo; he already knew it had won the hand.

After that night, things came easier. It took him three more rounds to move up a league. Three rounds of pulling eyes to the table, impressing the management.

_ ‘Maybe you’d be best finding a different table.’  _ The dealer announced as Sunwoo planted a hand against the mat. The dealer’s eyes didn’t falter from the cards they were shuffling. 

_ ‘Something more to the center of the room. _ ’

The center of casinos was reserved for the most entertaining of players. The players with a lot of money, with flair and excellence. They wrung in big crowds with their technique, and now Sunwoo was subtly being asked to join them. He silently listened to the dealer.

As he exited the vicinity of the table, he made sure to walk by Changmin close enough to grab his arm.

“Give me ten minutes.” He whispered.

Midas was as hypnotizing as it was hostile. The heavy presence of security feigned safety when really it was only for the house’s interest. The way the tables were set out were designed to keep people engaged and entertained. Roulette, blackjack, baccarat. Every game had strategy and skill, but in the end, everything inside these walls favored those who worked for them.

Elegant men and women lingered around the tables to draw people in. Hired by the house to make games look irresistible. Sunwoo wondered if that’s how Changmin got started. It would make sense, he thought. Maybe after a while of playing by the house’s rules he got tired and decided to make his own instead.

Sunwoo picked a table and anted in. 

New faces meant new tricks to learn, new methods to use. It meant scoping out weaknesses and turning them to his advantage. Something Sunwoo couldn’t do alone anymore. Surely enough, halfway through the first round, Changmin showed up. He nestled himself among the sea of faces watching the game unfurl. Sunwoo glanced at him to confirm his arrival.

“Check.” He called.

Nights were the same, too. After Sunwoo left the table he cashed in his chips. They alternated who got back to the room first, but eventually, it always ended in them fucking each other’s brains out on the pile of money they had won just before.

Sunwoo could get used to this. The high steaks, the money. Changmin singing his praises higher than ever before. Sunwoo felt special. He felt necessary, irreplaceable. His fears of losing Changmin to some chump in the casino faded away every time Changmin clung to his skin and asked him to fuck him harder. 

Then as he got ready to descend for their fifth night at the casino, Changmin’s tone changed a bit.

“You know, if you want to take the night off for a change, I wouldn’t mind it.” He hummed through the air as Sunwoo pushed his shirt into his pants.

“What do you mean?” Sunwoo, genuinely confused, turned to look over his shoulder at Changmin. He sat on the edge of the bed, kicking his feet like a child. Sunwoo wondered if he was bored already. Changmin was used to pulling in overwhelming large amounts of cash, with many different faces at the end of it. Sunwoo quietly approached his lover and leaned down to be in his line of sight.

“I’m just thinking, if it’s too much for you, we can slow down a bit.” Changmin took advantage of Sunwoo’s position in front of him, his foot gently nudging against Sunwoo’s thigh. It wasn’t enough to distract Sunwoo, but it was enough for him to keen slightly as he held out his hand to cup Changmin’s cheek.

“Baby, I do this to make you happy.” He mused over Changmin’s features as he waited for the words to sink in. 

Changmin’s eyes flickered with a hint of lust and warmth back to him, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Sunwoo pressed a kiss to his lips finally. The residue of Changmin’s mint toothpaste caught his tongue as he pushed deeper. Only for a second before breaking away, pressing the pad of his thumb to Changmin’s jaw to keep him steady as Sunwoo stood back up once more.

“Come back to the room early tonight. It must be exhausting to watch over every part of the game constantly.”

Changmin let out a small laugh at that.

Changmin did as he was told. He left the table during Sunwoo’s last round of play, excusing himself through the crowd as he left the casino. Sunwoo had already picked up everything that he needed from Changmin to keep pressing forward with his new, aggressive style of play. 

He had quickly realized on his way through the more experienced tables, that playing defensively is what was getting him caught out early every round.

Defensive players weren’t worth their chips. They caused frustration, which made people back out. Sunwoo had never liked playing aggressively; he thought it left too many weaknesses open. He never thought to realize that it worked both ways for the other players.

“Raise.” He called. There were just two of them left on the table, and Sunwoo held a decent hand.

_ Seven of Clubs and Hearts. _

The Seven of Spades on the table gave him a ‘three of a kind’ hand, alongside the lower value cards ( _ Six of Hearts, Four of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs). I _ t made Sunwoo confident that he had the upper hand here.

His opponent paused. He paused long enough for Sunwoo to look up at him, staring in surprise that he was taking so long to move. He could be playing a long game, Sunwoo thought, but the chances of his hand being superior were minimal considering the previous round contained a Jack.

Sunwoo estimated his odds at seventy-three percent. Sure, estimates could always be wrong, but without Changmin here to check, he had to go with his guy instincts with this one.

“All in.”

The crowd gasped in shock. Sunwoo merely looked up at him, observing him for telltale signs of a bluff. It was so much harder to do when Changmin wasn’t around. Was that flicker of a smile giving something away? Or was he just that confident?

To back down now would besmirch his name in the club. He laced his fingers through his chips. Over ten thousand worth of plastic drifted away from his touch as he pushed in into the center of the table. 

“Call.”

The dealer didn’t hesitate. Turning the final card onto the table for everyone to see, Sunwoo felt his stomach lurch forward when he saw it.

_ Jack of Hearts. _

If his opponent was playing a two pair of Jack’s up until now, it meant game over. Another Jack on the table would bump them up to three of a kind and out-value Sunwoo’s sevens. Fuck, this could’ve been his opponent’s play all along. 

“Right side, reveal.” The deal called. The crowd went silent as they waited for Sunwoo to flip his cards over.

The collective gasp in the room returned. Two sevens and a seven on the flop meant Sunwoo had three of a kind. His eyebrows knitted together despite him telling them not to. His nerves overrode his usually composed features. He took a deep breath in; there was no point in hiding it anymore now.

“Left side.” 

Sunwoo’s eyes became fixated on the cards.

“You motherfucker.” His opponent cursed. For a brief second, fear washed over his body; fight or flight instincts about to kick in as adrenaline pumped through his heart. But then he saw it.

_ Six of Spades and Clubs. _

Sunwoo had won. Barely.

“Left side, three of a kind win.” The dealer announced. The eruption of cheers around him hit Sunwoo like a stun grenade as he watched the mass of nearly uncountable chips be pushed towards him. 

He didn’t waste any time in rounding them up. He nodded as his opponent, commiserating the loser wasn’t necessary for poker, but Sunwoo couldn’t hide his smile anymore. 

It was the most money he had even won in his lifetime.

He headed straight to cash it out. A habit he had formed every night because he never knew when it would need to be on the run again. It was better to have a stash of money in his pockets than a ton of useless chips should he have to vacate the casino for another. 

That, plus he couldn’t wait to shower Changmin with the bills once he reached upstairs. 

“Sir,” 

_ Oh no. _ Sunwoo felt his body stiffen up.

That tone, the stern voice. Even with a fleck of friendliness, Sunwoo knew better than to trust anyone who referred to him as ‘Sir’. Fuck, he was just a few feet from the cash-out booth too, could they not have waited a minute for him? 

Sunwoo turned around to meet his demise.

“Excellent play, I must say.” 

Only he wasn’t faced with a buff security guard, it seemed.

The man standing before him was younger, maybe a couple of years older than him, in a grey suit. He was clean-shaven, a soft glint in his eyes as he lay a hand on Sunwoo’s shoulder to congratulate him. It was a mix of expected hostility and lack of trustworthiness that made Sunwoo almost recoil and sneer at him. But he held it together in a complacent expression.

“I could use a man like you in a room where you’re needed.” The offer came. Sunwoo’s expression perked up slightly. “I’m sure you’re aware of the back rooms?”

“Maybe.” Came the expected reply. The gentleman huffed through his nose with a click of his tongue at Sunwoo. 

“Well, just in case you wanted to join.” The man removed his hand from Sunwoo’s shoulder and dug into his pocket. Sunwoo kept a stiff look on his face and a cautious eye, just in case he still needed to make a run for it.

The man pulled his fist from his pocket, grabbing Sunwoo’s wrist with his other hand and slapping his knuckles against Sunwoo’s closed palm. He slowly opened his hand and allowed whatever he was being handed to slip into his fingers.

“You’ll need to show this at the door.” The stranger nodded knowingly, shaking Sunwoo’s hand in congratulations one more time before departing the scene. 

Sunwoo turned his palm up to his face to take a look at it.

Changmin didn’t worry why it took so long for Sunwoo to return to him. In fact, he never worried about him at all. The door clicked open, and Changmin immediately turned his attention away from the television as Sunwoo entered the room with his familiar suitcase and an exponentially brighter smile on his face than usual. 

“Well?” Changmin said, shuffling to the edge of the bed as Sunwoo closed the door.

He dropped his briefcase, digging his other hand into his pocket to bring out a shiny gold plated poker chip with the casino’s insignia on it. It flashed yellow and brightly under the hotel room lights.

“We did it baby.”


	20. Chapter 20

They gave the next night a break. Celebrating their ticket to the backroom by ordering excessive amounts of alcohol and spending far too many hours slowly teasing and edging each other into one giant mess. Every grace of Changmin’s skin against his own was filled with his praises; the marks they left against each other’s skin were deep and plentiful. 

If Sunwoo were ever going to move on from Changmin after this, everything in his life would appear tame. He was coiled so tightly around Changmin’s finger that he didn’t even want to think of the possibility of no longer having him in his life. The way the two of them worked in perfect unison, even if Sunwoo had to bend a little, but never break.

Sunwoo wanted to conform to what Changmin wanted of him; he wanted to give him that life he craved. Changmin gave him purpose to play. Before, he played to prove a point: that he wasn’t an underdog, that he was to be taken seriously. But what happened once people started believing that on their own? 

His meaning became moot. But playing for Changmin,  _ with Changmin _ , meant endless opportunities to impress and indulge him and himself.

As the night came to head to the backrooms, Sunwoo readied himself in the mirror as Changmin sat nervously on the edge of the bed.

“So I figured out if I play more aggressively, then I stand a better chance at progressing,” Sunwoo noted out loud. It was always good to share their game plans, sometimes the details changed. Changmin didn’t verbally respond, and Sunwoo focused on tying a knot in his black tie, which he was struggling with. 

“I don’t know how much money their starting ante is. I bet it’s a lot, right?” This time Sunwoo expected a reply, so when he didn’t get it he turned to see what Changmin was doing.

He was still sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes elsewhere, staring at nothing in particular as his fingers fumbled with a loose thread on his jacket. Sunwoo narrowed his eyes as he watched his lover, pursing his lips together in hopes that his silence would prompt Changmin back to reality. But it didn’t.

“Is something wrong?” Sunwoo walked over to Changmin. The footsteps on the carpet dragged him back as he ran his eyes over Sunwoo quickly.

“No, no.” He answered, his voice vague and distant. Sunwoo didn’t need to be as observant as Changmin to know that he was lying. 

He racked his mind for a moment, wondering what could possibly be distracting Changmin from the biggest night of their lives. Without hesitation, Sunwoo moved to take Changmin’s hands in his own, forcing Changmin to finally look at him.

He could see the worry, gears turning in his mind, and overthinking. If anything, Sunwoo thought that Changmin looked scared. Then the penny dropped for him. He remembered the last time they were invited to the backrooms of a casino.

“Are you scared?” He squeezed Changmin’s hands a little tighter. Changmin’s breath hitched as he averted his eyes. That was it.

Sunwoo hadn’t thought too deeply about that night. Changmin had seemingly moved on from it quickly after their row in the car; his behavior surely didn’t change that much. He was even the one who suggested coming here, and he always knew the goal was to end up in those rooms again. 

But Sunwoo supposed there was more to Changmin that meets the eye after all.

“A little.” Changmin’s voice cracked.

Sunwoo pulled him into an embrace. He laced Changmin’s arms around his waist as he leaned into him, Changmin taking in a heavy breath of air against Sunwoo’s chest. It shook on the exhale, and Sunwoo pulled him a little tighter when he heard it.

“If you don’t want to go tonight, it’s okay.” Sunwoo pressed his lips into Changmin’s nest of hair. His scent was soothing; Sunwoo felt more relaxed knowing that Changmin would feel safer here. Even if it meant going down alone.

“No, you can’t- that’s not fair-” Changmin began to protest. He pushed against Sunwoo’s body to pull away. Sunwoo held onto Changmin’s shoulders firmly to reassure him as he looked into his eyes.

“I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy, you know?” He smiled lightly. He tried his best to hide his own anxieties for the sake of Changmin. The boy on the bed’s eyes quivered slightly as he scanned over Sunwoo’s features. Finally, he caved into him with a sigh.

“Fine.” 

Sunwoo toyed with the golden chip in his pocket. He was used to the silent elevator ride down, but knowing he had no Changmin to look forward to in the crowd made it feel different.

He was truly on his own tonight. No hidden messages or hints to get him through. It wasn’t impossible; Sunwoo knew he was an excellent player, even without Changmin’s help. But he wasn’t playing just any table tonight.

The guard against the door gave away the location of the back rooms easily. Sunwoo approached through the crowd, fixing his posture on the way to give off an air of confidence. Like he knew what he was doing; like he belonged there.

Of course, the golden chip in his pocket showed he belonged there, and the guard didn’t think twice about letting him through the door once he’d seen it. The hallway was adorned with marbled tiles and unscathed white walls with a simple navy line leading the way. Sunwoo followed it. 

Tracing his hand lightly along the wall, with his other hand he held onto the coin in his pocket tightly. There was no turning back now. He was going to come out of this room one way or another: a very rich man or full of shame. 

“How nice of you to join us.” The man who gave him the coin greeted him as he entered. Sunwoo’s eyes met him instantly. He was in a similar grey suit, sat at the head of the table. He was the dealer, it seemed. Sunwoo didn’t question why he seemed to have such authority over who got to play in this room and who didn’t.

“Yeah, well. Thanks for having me.” His tone was less than enthused. He grabbed an available chair, the floor in the cozy room was lined in a deep blue carpet. It pulled against the feet of the chair as Sunwoo shuffled slightly closer to the table. He quickly ran his eyes over his opponents, all of them being unfamiliar faces, of course.

They were older, all of them at least twice Sunwoo’s age, if not more. Silver hairs accented most of them, and their auras wreaked of experience.  _ They don’t know fuck all about me _ , Sunwoo tried to tell himself. Inexperience didn’t mean much as long as you didn’t show it.

The dealer shuffled the cards. One of the players picked up a bottle of beer they had at the side of them and took a deep drink. It prompted the dealer’s eyes to flicker at Sunwoo to ask him a question.

“How terribly rude of me. Would you like a drink to calm your nerves?” 

Sunwoo felt that the mind games were starting early in this round. He stared deadpan back to the dealer. “No thanks, I don’t need it.” 

It earned a snigger of a laugh from a few of the other players.

The dealer muttered something along the lines of  _ ‘suit yourself _ ’ before he began to deal out the cards. Sunwoo quickly noticed something was wrong when he received three cards instead of two.

“What the fuck is this?” Sunwoo spat. He flicked the turned-over card with a loose finger, anger bubbling as he examined the table. Every player was given the same deal; two cards face down and one face up.

“My boy, we play seven stud back here.” The dealer didn’t skip a beat as he continued to deal out to the rest of the table. Sunwoo felt like a stone had just dropped into his stomach. His sudden panic was very clear to see. The dealer slowed down their motions.

“You do know how to play, don’t you?” 

Sunwoo had practiced many forms of poker when he was learning how to play. Hold ‘em, Omaha, five stud, seven stud. 

“Of course.” He answered. He threw in his ante as his starting bid before placing his cards before him. 

Just because he knew how to play didn’t mean he enjoyed playing it.

The hand rankings were the same, but the style of play was completely different. Cards had different values, the betting style differed. Counting his chances became a mathematical improbability; there was simply too much going on at the table for him to keep track of alone. The rounds were longer, and there was more money to lose on the table. Sunwoo felt completely out of his league, but he couldn’t show it.

Even a hint of weakness would be sniffed out, like blood among a pack of sharks. The other players had their guests beside them, making Sunwoo feel even more alone and small. The betting started from the person who had the lowest value visible card. Thankfully, not Sunwoo this turn, but it did mean Sunwoo had to place another bet in soon to keep up.

He looked down at his visible card.  _ Three of Hearts.  _ He quickly checked the other player’s hands before trying to rack up a gameplay in his head.

Sunwoo felt like he was going to be eaten alive here without Changmin.

And he pretty much was. He ended the night fourth. Leaving the room ten grand lighter than when he went in. It was a total disaster, and he had no one else to blame but himself. His lucky streak in the main casino meant that he could afford to lose ten grand and live to play another day, but he definitely could not do that with Changmin’s help.

He felt like he could’ve died. The added stress of more cards on the table, seeing what other players held. It made counting his outs harder; his mind stuttered over the numbers as he tried to remember which cards were showing in correlation to his own. Fuck, he hated seven stud poker. 

What he hated, even more, was showing up to Changmin empty-handed.

The elevator door opened, and Sunwoo stumbled out of it. He needed a drink, or a massage, or something to rid him of this ball of stress rolling around in his head that he just couldn’t shake out. He hoped Changmin wouldn’t be too harsh on him for losing. He turned down the corridor towards their hotel room. 

Only to see Changmin entering it himself. 

He thought he was hallucinating for a second. Changmin’s figure disappeared into the door and he heard it click closed. Changmin had agreed to stay in the room tonight. What could he possibly be doing wandering around the hotel corridors alone? 

Something didn’t sit right with Sunwoo.

He sped up to the door, opening it with much more force than he intended. Changmin was sitting on the bed comfortably, in the same clothes Sunwoo had left him in. The same clothes he had just seen him enter the room in.

“Hey baby, did you win?” Changmin didn’t even glance away from whatever TV show he was watching as he asked that question. Sunwoo closed the door behind him and walked straight up to the edge of the bed.

“Where did you go?” His tone is what finally diverted Changmin’s eyes from the television.

“What?” He tilted his head innocently. Sunwoo felt his anger brimming once more. He was so close to throttling Changmin because of it.

“What do you mean? I stayed here-” 

“No.” Sunwoo cut him off. Changmin didn’t flinch a muscle as Sunwoo gritted his teeth at him. “I just saw you come in. Where did you go?” He asked more firmly, and Changmin finally sat up.

He shuffled down towards the end of the bed. Sunwoo curled his fists up at just how blasé Changmin was acting towards him.

“Oh that,” Changmin chuckled with a hint of nervousness. Sunwoo knew it. He knew he was lying. “I just went to get some ice in the hallway-”

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Changmin!” He finally snapped. His voice rose automatically and Changmin looked up to him in surprise. 

If Changmin was still playing some stupid game after all the time, Sunwoo had had just about enough of it.

“Okay, okay.” Changmin soothed, holding his hands out in a submissive manner in an attempt to calm Sunwoo down. It momentarily worked. Sunwoo’s chest heaved as he listened to Changmin’s story.

“I went to see my ex-client. The one I took you to see the other day. She leaves tomorrow, and I wasn’t going to say anything, but she got a little aggressive and-” As Changmin talked, he unbuttoned the buttons on his cuff. He pulled it up his forearm, revealing a few superficial scratches and a pinprick trail of blood. 

Sunwoo felt all of his anger subside in an instant.

“She scratched me. But I’m okay, I promise.” Changmin checked over his arm as he rotated it. The marks wouldn’t leave anything permanent, but Sunwoo was still surprised that such a lady would have done this to him.

“That bitch,” He cursed through gritted teeth. Changmin immediately reached out to wrap his hands around Sunwoo’s waist.

“No, no. It doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry about it.” Changmin cooed. Despite being the injured one, he was having to calm Sunwoo down about the whole situation. 

Sunwoo brought his hands softly to hold Changmin’s forearm. He brought it up to his mouth, pressing his thick lips against the cuts gently, careful not to press too deeply or cause him pain. Changmin watched with soft eyes as Sunwoo hummed against his skin. Changmin had gotten hurt. Sunwoo wasn’t there to protect him. He had lost the game. He suddenly felt so useless for Changmin.

“So,” Changmin broke the silence. His voice was quiet and calm, and Sunwoo moved his lips further up until he met Changmin’s wrist and kissed it. “How did it go?” 

Sunwoo sighed defeatedly. Taking Changmin’s hands with him, he sat down beside him on the edge of the bed. 

“Terrible. I came in 4th. I lost all of the money I made this week, but thankfully nothing more.” He sounded dejected. He was fully expecting a rant from Changmin. Something along the lines of him being incapable of doing anything by himself- that Changmin never should’ve trusted him to go down there alone. 

Instead, he received a gentle touch against his cheek as Changmin turned his head towards him.

“Then that’s good enough.” He mused. Changmin thumbed over Sunwoo’s cheek as Sunwoo stared back at him in shock.

“Is that.. Praise I just heard from you?” Sunwoo couldn’t help but laugh at his own surprise. Changmin chuckled lightly back at him too.

“What? I can’t say anything nice to you?” Changmin shifted his weight on the bed, bringing his knee over to the other side of Sunwoo, so he was now straddling him, forcing Sunwoo to hold onto his hips as Changmin laced his arms around his neck for support.

“I’m just,” Sunwoo leaned in to press his forehead against Changmin’s. It was so comforting, the feeling of that familiar weight pressed against him. He took a deep breath in, letting the stress of the night fade away from his memory. “Not used to your sweeter tone, I guess.” 

Changmin shifted as he chuckled, making himself comfortable on Sunwoo’s lap as he let his eyes close over. Sunwoo felt warmth radiating off of him in more ways than one as Changmin swayed slightly against him in a soothing motion.

“Well, you better get used to it.” He purred. It made the hairs on the back of Sunwoo’s neck stand up. Changmin opened his eyes as he hooked a finger under Sunwoo’s chin to look at him. 

“How about when after all of this is over, we go on vacation, huh? Just us two.” He pressed up closer to Sunwoo, letting their lips meet without kissing as he tilted his head slightly. 

“All this?” Sunwoo repeated, confused as to exactly what he meant. _'All of this'_. He leaned back slightly in an attempt to look at Changmin better, but Changmin pulled him closer once more. Keeping him dazed and dizzy as he thumbed over his bottom lip.

“Mhmm. At this casino. We can go somewhere hot, where there’s a beach. And you can drink cocktails from coconuts by the sea. How does that sound?” 

It’s almost like Sunwoo could feel himself there now. Changmin’s warm body pressed against him, the taste of his lips. How intoxicating it was to think about a place where he wouldn’t have to worry about breaking even every night. Where they could relax and finally enjoy each other's company without another care in the world. Sunwoo caved and pressed his lips back against Changmin’s. It was slow and lazy, finally allowing the last of his stress to unravel as he melted against Changmin’s tender touch.

“Yeah,” He hummed against Changmin’s lips. He felt the other smile into him, a soft gasp escaping between them as Changmin toyed with his hair. “That sounds pretty good.”


	21. Chapter 21

Sunwoo was not in a rush to be humiliated again. He spent the next two days cooped up in the room, replaying hands of seven stud poker by himself. Changmin sat by his side for most of it, silently watching, observing how he handled it differently. 

_ ‘You squint your eyes too much when you're checking your hole cards.’  _

_ ‘Yeah, because I have a shit more math to do, Changmin.’ _

_ ‘Well cut it out. If I can see it then they’re definitely going to, too.’  _

Frustration was at its peak with Sunwoo, and he could hardly take it anymore. 

He tossed the cards out again, dealing to nobody in particular on the bed. He pretended that he was part of a live game, getting Changmin to check the hands for him to confirm the number.

_ ‘So if I have a Three, Seven, Jack, and Queen on the river face up… And a Ten, Jack, Queen face down. I have a high pair. And if the hand on the left, who folded, had… Fuck, what was it again?’  _

_ ‘I don’t think you’re supposed to ask me that.’ _

_ ‘Shut up, Changmin. God!’ _

Sunwoo threw himself back on the bed in defeat. Changmin quickly followed suit, lacing himself over Sunwoo’s body as his hands squeezed at his biceps to relax them.

_ ‘Hey, you’re doing great. You can do this.’ _ He said, pressing a kiss to Sunwoo’s neck as he felt his heartbeat through his jugular.  _ ‘Come on, get up. Let’s go through this again.’ _

_ ‘You’re right.’ _ Sunwoo sighed. He ran a hand over his face as Changmin pulled at his hand to help him sit back up.  _ ‘I’ve got to do this. For us, right?’  _

Changmin smiled softly as he peeled his fingers away from Sunwoo’s hand.  _ ‘Right’ _ .

A mere four hours later and they were walking through the casino. Hand in hand, straight towards the backrooms. Sunwoo had felt the atmosphere shift in the elevator; Changmin became more meek and withdrawn. Sunwoo worried if he was going to be able to do this. 

“Hey,” He muttered as he squeezed Changmin’s hand. The distracted boy jumped slightly at the touch, his wandering eyes finally coming to land on Sunwoo again.

“Are you going to be able to do this?” He asked. If Changmin wasn’t on his top game, Sunwoo could only imagine how badly this was about to go. “I need you to focus.”

Changmin did his best to smile back. He looked overwhelmed by all the bright lights as they approached the guard. Sunwoo flashed their entry ticket once again and let them through.

The table felt a little less intimidating with Changmin by his side. The dealer pulled up a chair for him, too. Of course, sitting like this meant that Changmin couldn’t be across the room and give him signals. They had prepared beforehand for this: Changmin would press a sequence of taps against Sunwoo’s thigh to indicate which player to look at, followed by another signal. Such as a pinch for a tight jaw or a scratch for a hand tick. 

“Feeling more prepared today?” The dealer asked him. Every pair of eyes was on Sunwoo, expecting an answer. He didn’t. He stayed calm and quiet, the dealer taking the hint as he began to shuffle and deal out the cards to the players.

_ Don’t squint too much. Be mindful of tapping your fingers when you’re counting, and don’t bite the inside of your cheek. _

Changmin’s observations stuck inside his head like the Bible.

His visible card was the Six of Hearts. He lifted his two face-down cards to check them too.  _ Five of Hearts, Ace of Spades. _

He figured he was off to a good start until he saw somebody across the table with the Seven of Hearts. It impacted his flush significantly; he tried to let it go as he fixed his cards linear in front of him.

“Bring in.” The dealer called to the player with the lowest value card. They folded instantly. That knocked off the Seven of Clubs for Sunwoo, which thankfully wasn’t a big deal.

But it was the cards that he couldn’t see that plagued his mind. 

As betting commenced, he felt it. Changmin’s finger tapping against his thigh. Three times. He knew to check the third to the right, but he kept his eyes down until Changmin finished the message. 

A gentle squeeze. Check for them flexing their hand. 

Sunwoo did just that. The person held the Queen of Diamonds openly, so Sunwoo quickly tried to rule out their probable hands. They must have had low-value cards face down or ones that matched those visible on the table. He felt slightly more confident in his hand.

“Check,” Sunwoo said, matching the bet from the person next to him as he threw his chips to the center. Luckily, Changmin’s nerves seemed to have settled the moment they sat down, and it allowed Sunwoo to relax his shoulders and pretend that he was in control of the game.

He felt like he was able to do this.

Four rounds later, there were three of them left. One player had a pair of nines visible in their hand, and Sunwoo had his previous Six of hearts, along with the King of Spades and Four of Clubs. The money on the table was mounting up, and Sunwoo knew he had to play aggressively and constantly match or raise bets. If he didn’t, they wouldn’t take him seriously. It would mean that they would drive him out of the game early each round or continuously call his bluff. Changmin’s cues came in handy with each passing round as Sunwoo received his final face-down card.

_ King of Clubs.  _

It was better than his opponent's visible hand, but he had no idea what their face-down cards could be. He pursed his lips. A rookie mistake, because it was a giveaway that he was thinking too hard about his hand.

“Nervous?” One of the players asked him. Sunwoo’s eyes darted over to them, an overweight man with a mustache. His face-up cards were shit, Sunwoo had no idea why he was still in the game, but Changmin also hadn’t indicated any obvious signs of bluffing from him yet. 

Some players took a long time to crack, Changmin had warned him.

“What makes you think that?” He replied. As the third player threw in their bet, Sunwoo followed suit. He had a high card pair, which could be good enough. But this man was suddenly casting doubt despite his terrible hand.

“You keep scanning our cards like you don’t know what to do.” They chuckled. Sunwoo almost let his fist curl up in irritation. Was he being that obvious? The man sat back in his chair, almost condescendingly relaxed as his eyes burrowed into Sunwoo. “We all see it. The others are just too nice to say it.”

Maybe two days wasn’t enough practice time to get over his rookie error.

“I suppose checking too frequently beats sipping your drink every time someone raises a bet, doesn’t it?” Changmin piped up. Sunwoo’s neck snapped as he turned to look at his partner. 

At first, he didn’t even look at the player. He stretched his back out slightly in the chair, feigning boredom. As his eyes flickered over to the man, he smiled. Albeit far too innocently, Changmin didn’t let it waiver a second as the player’s mustache twitched with the corner of his mouth. He shut up. Sunwoo managed to keep a straight face despite the circumstances, reminding himself to later thank Changmin for putting that guy in his place.

“Enough.” The dealer called to the table. All eyes turned to him as he readied the chips. “Last bettor, show your hand.” 

It was the man with the mustache, and Sunwoo was right to wonder why the hell he was still in the game. His best hand contained nothing of value at all. He had been bluffing the entire round, thinking he could get away with it. Sunwoo wanted to laugh at him, but it was his turn to turn his cards over.

“High pair, Kings.” The dealer announced. Then everyone’s attention turned to the last player.

In doing so, Sunwoo caught a glimpse of Changmin’s face. He should’ve been the one playing poker; he was so calm and neutral. It always impressed Sunwoo how quickly Changmin came to adapt to things. It was difficult to think that an hour ago, in their hotel room, that Changmin was barely convinced to join him in the casino. 

Wow, he loved that man.

“High pair, Jacks.” The dealer called. He pushed the chips in Sunwoo’s direction, and a few of the players clapped. Changmin’s lips cracked into a smile as he eyed over the chips. Sunwoo felt assured they could do this together now.

When they left the room, they were three grand better off. Things would improve over time; they would become a well-oiled machine. It took a while to get into the rhythm, and Sunwoo was getting better at hiding his quirks during gameplay.

Changmin clung to Sunwoo’s arm as they walked to cash the chips out. Whispering sweet nothings into his ear, hands becoming friskier by the second. Sunwoo felt his chest pound with adoration and pride. The way Changmin adored him just as much back… Sunwoo never wanted to get used to this feeling.

“Hey,” Changmin bounced, pulling at Sunwoo’s sleeves slightly as they walked through the casino. “Come for a drink with me, at the bar.” 

Sunwoo saw no harm in indulging Changmin a little bit.

With his briefcase to the side of him, Sunwoo sat down and called the bartender over. Changmin pulled up a seat next to him, turning on it slightly to face Sunwoo.

“You think we could roleplay?” He suddenly asked. Sunwoo cocked an eyebrow at him curiously. Changmin’s playful grin grew enigmatically.

“We could pretend we’re strangers.” He lowered his voice for only Sunwoo to hear. The hairs on the back of Sunwoo’s neck began to stand up. “That we’re meeting at the bar for the first time, and then we hook up.” 

Sunwoo was experiencing deja vu already. Changmin’s hand slowly slid up Sunwoo’s thigh as he leaned in closer.

“How about it?”

The bartender interrupted their moment. Sunwoo ordered a whiskey on the rocks, adding ‘ _ better make that two _ ’ at the end of his sentence before turning back to Changmin to answer.

“I’ve never seen you before in my life, you beautiful stranger.”

Changmin chuckled alluringly.

Just like the first time they met, they ended up making out against their hotel room door. Changmin muttered obscenities into Sunwoo’s ear, his teeth scratching against his neck. Sunwoo was only thankful that he was used to the piercing pain Changmin inflicted on him almost every time they slept together, as he picked Changmin up by his ass to carry him over towards the bed.

“I’m gonna do to you what I should’ve done the first time we met.” Sunwoo groaned against Changmin’s lips. The husky tone of his voice made Changmin push his hips up against Sunwoo’s strained cock, causing him to moan breathlessly back as he pulled on Sunwoo’s hair.

“Yeah? What’s that?” He teased.

He moved in to kiss Sunwoo again, but the jolt of his hands being forced over his head distracting him. Changmin let out a deep moan at the force, Sunwoo moving down his neck as he trusted Changmin to keep his hands there. His hands curled under Changmin’s shirt and in a swift movement, he removed it and tossed it to the side.

“You’ll see.” He pressed hotly against Changmin’s exposed chest.

Sunwoo picked himself off of Changmin, much to Changmin’s protest. He hurried over to the wardrobe. The main difference between now and the first night they met was that Sunwoo was much better prepared for just how deviant Changmin could be.

He stumbled slightly, alcohol clouding his mind as he unzipped the sports bag that Changmin carried around with them. He knew they were in here somewhere, the handcuffs. He dug in a little further until he felt the metal chain and roughly pulled it out of the bag.

Alongside a folded-up piece of paper.

_ What’s this? _ He thought.

Sunwoo stumbled his way back out of the wardrobe, the handcuffs in one hand and the mysterious paper in the other. Changmin was on the bed, kicking his pants off and barely paying attention to Sunwoo as he walked back into the room.

Under the better lighting, Sunwoo could see lines on the page. He unfolded it, the rustling sound catching Changmin’s ears as he sat up to see what Sunwoo was doing. He was too late.

Sunwoo’s eyes widened as he scanned over the paper. Floors plans, fire exits, the layout of the casino. He felt his mind quickly sobering as he dug his fingers into the paper.

“What is this?” His voice was like the calm before the storm. Changmin shuffled quietly to the edge of the bed in his underwear.

“I can explain.”

“I sure fucking hope so. This better not be what I think it looks like.” His jaw clicked as he tried to steady his breath. 

Changmin. If after all this time…

“That depends on what you think it looks like.” 

That caused Sunwoo to snap. “It looks like a fucking  _ blueprint _ to the building! What fucking stunt are you trying to pull now? Some kind of heist?”

He almost begged for Changmin to scream at him that it wasn’t that. That it was anything but that. 

But Changmin stayed quiet. His eyes latched onto Sunwoo, a wordless answer. Sunwoo finally lost control; he began laughing like a maniac. He almost doubled over with laughter- Sunwoo couldn’t believe this entire fucking time Changmin had been planning something like this. 

Only, he could.

“Oh my god, it is!” He cackled. Changmin stood up cautiously, but his attitude changed the moment Sunwoo began tearing the paper to shreds.

“No, wait-” Changmin huffed as he ran over to stop Sunwoo.

“You’re fucking crazy, like  _ actually  _ crazy, Changmin!” He gritted through his teeth. Changmin’s hands came to wrestle with his own in an attempt to stop him from ripping the paper apart.

“I’ve had it up to  _ here _ with your fucking schemes!” He crumpled the paper in his fists, Changmin’s slender fingers doing their best to try and peel the fragments out from between them.

“Stop- Sunwoo-”

“This is too much! Even for you!” 

Retrieving the paper was a losing battle, so instead, Changmin curled his hands up into the material of Sunwoo’s shirt. He pulled on him imploringly, begging him as he came to rest his weight against Sunwoo, which made them both stumble back.

“No, no! Think of it this way!” Changmin’s voice was desperate. He was pleading as Sunwoo’s jaw chattered with rage that Changmin was even trying to make sense of this.

“This is the biggest casino around here, right?” He stuttered over his words as he clawed at Sunwoo’s chest. Sunwoo grasped Changmin’s wrists in an attempt to pull him off of him, but Changmin was tightly coiled into his shirt.

“If we can pull this off, we’ll go down in history.”

“We?” Sunwoo spat with rage-filled laughter. “So now we’re a ‘we’?” 

“We’ve always been a ‘we’!” Changmin cried, his voice shook as he clung onto Sunwoo as if his life depended on it. Sunwoo barely had the energy to keep physically fighting him, he was overwhelmed by just how deviously scheming Changmin had been this entire time. This was the last straw. He wanted this to be the last straw.

“I can’t do this without you, Sunwoo. Please.” Changmin’s weight was too much for Sunwoo to take. Changmin fell to his knees, hands still wrapped up in Sunwoo’s shirt as he pressed his head against his lover’s stomach. Sunwoo pressed his lips together in a thin line, rolling his head back until he was looking up at the ceiling.

He couldn’t bear to look at Changmin anymore. He just couldn’t.

“Please, Sunwoo.” Changmin began to cry. His fists curled tighter in desperation, pulling Sunwoo down slightly as he began to press his lips to anywhere he could find. Sunwoo’s stomach, his thighs. Each kiss was accented by Changmin continuously begging for Sunwoo to understand him. For forgiveness for him lying. Sunwoo felt his stomach churn at the fact that it was slightly affecting him.

“Just this one last thing. Please.” He hummed against Sunwoo’s body. His body began to tremble as he lost all of his strength. Sunwoo felt himself beginning to fall apart. 

He could go. Nothing was stopping him. Changmin would find another fool to complete his dreams, Sunwoo could go back to playing alone. 

He could take his money. Fuck, he could even give Changmin half of it. He had enough, he could make more. He could keep living his life and maybe, eventually, he would forget all of this happened.

But he knew he would never be able to do that.

“Then I’m done.” Changmin continued to heave through heavy breaths. Sunwoo felt his soul crumble.

He would be done. All of this would be over? Just like that? Sunwoo tried to hold onto his sanity. Tried to will himself to walk out of the door and never look back. Every second spent here felt like hell and torture, yet he couldn’t bring himself to tear away from it somehow.

“Forever. You can stop gambling. We can move to a place where it never gets cold.”

All those countless hours spent in bed, talking about their hopes and dreams. How Sunwoo wanted to retire on some tropical island, where he never had to worry. Sunwoo had never meant for it to be anything more than pillow talk. He never wanted to get greedy when it came to Changmin; he just wanted to give him the world he deserved.

“Just please Sunwoo. This is the last thing I’ll ever ask of you.” With a final breath, Changmin’s grip released on his shirt. With a quiet thud, Changmin dropped his hands to the ground, and Sunwoo was free to do as he wished.

“One last thing, huh.” His voice was void and empty. He wasn’t thinking straight. 

Sunwoo could walk. He could leave this all behind him. Let Changmin go.

“I’ll do anything you want after this. I promise.” Changmin muttered down to the floor. Sunwoo swallowed the ball in his throat so loudly that Changmin could hear it. He didn’t dare to look up, not yet anyway.

“And then you’ll stop?” 

Sunwoo stood rigidly, like a King looking down on a peasant whose life he held in his hands. Sunwoo was free to choose what he wanted to do with it.

“Forever.” Changmin hiccuped. He looked up with glossy eyes, color fractured by tears and bloodshot veins. He held his hands together like a prisoner, completely acquiescent as he awaited his fate before he dropped his head lowly again.

Sunwoo should walk away. He knew that whatever would come of this would be no good.

“I’ll never step foot inside a casino again, I swear.” 

But then again…

.

.

.

What good would life be without Changmin anyway?

Sunwoo pressed his fingers underneath Changmin’s chin, bringing his head up to look at him. 

“Just-”

He loved him. Even in all his madness. In his impulsivity and deceitful ways. No matter what he did or said, Sunwoo saw what he had always seen in him.

He loved him.

“Tell me what I need to do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/connahquay) & [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/connahquay)


End file.
